Rishabh Pant needed urgent surgery, may be out of field for 6 mths: Report

BCCI was keen to have its panel of doctors get a closer look at Rishabh Pant's injuries to rule out any future complications

A day after Rishabh Pant was airlifted to Mumbai from Dehradun for treatment, The Indian Express reported on Thursday that the cricketer required urgent surgery on one of the two knee ligaments he tore during the road accident on December 30.

The 25-year-old star wicket keeper-batsman had rammed his car into a road divider reportedly to avoid a pothole on NH-58 when he was driving from Delhi to his hometown Roorkee. He suffered injuries on his forehead, knee and ankle in the accident. He was first taken to a local hospital and then shifted to Dehradun.

According to a BCCI statement, the board decided to shift Pant from Dehradun to Mumbai by an air ambulance as he was not in a position to fly by a commercial airline.

In Mumbai, he is being treated at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, The Indian Express reported, adding he is likely to take “more than four months” to recover from this injury and about six months to return to the pitch.

A top BCCI official, who is the point person in touch with the board’s medical experts, told the publication that Pant’s ligament tear is similar to the one that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja suffered last year.

“Every player’s body is different but looking at his (Pant) report, our doctors say the ligament injury is like the one Jadeja suffered. As per the reports we received from Dehradun, we were told that Pant would need surgery as early as possible. It looks like he will take more than four months to recover,” the official said.

The BCCI was also keen to have its panel of doctors get a closer look at the injuries to rule out any future complications.

“BCCI secretary Jay Shah spoke to Rishabh’s mother and made her understand that it would be best for him if he is treated by the BCCI’s medical team in Mumbai. Once the family was on the same page as us, we arranged for an air ambulance to bring him to Mumbai,” the official told The Express.

According to another BCCI official, Pant will undergo a fresh MRI scan of his knee, ligament, spine, backbone and head. He will be under direct supervision of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, head of the Centre for Sports Medicine and Director of Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service at the Ambani hospital.