Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant was recovering in hospital Friday after his car crashed into a road divider and caught fire when the star wicketkeeper-batsman was travelling to New Delhi, police and doctors said in a statement.
The 25-year-old was returning from his hometown Roorkee, a few hours north of the capital, before dawn when his Mercedes SUV crashed into the median.
I hope there's nothing serious @RishabhPant17 I wish you a quick recovery and many prayers bhai. InshaAllah you will be fine and back on field very soon ❤️ pic.twitter.com/gy5WhoO0gf
— Hassan Ali 🇵🇰 (@RealHa55an) December 30, 2022
Police said the car immediately caught fire and the national team wicketkeeper had to break the windscreen to escape the blaze.
“The car hit the median and no other person or vehicle was involved in the crash,” a police officer from Roorkee, requesting anonymity, told AFP about the incident.
Pant had multiple injuries and was first rushed to a nearby hospital before being shifted to a more advanced facility.
One thing is known from the car accident of #RishabhPant that the speed was very fast.
Pant himself driving the car and he had a slight nap & the car collided with the pole & fell 200 meters away. Rishabh did not fasten seat belt. Due to this, he able to get out. See 🚗 fire 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qX9rEuASjZ
— Gaurav Pandey (@gaurav5pandey) December 30, 2022
“Rishabh has two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Jay Shah said in a statement.
“He has now been shifted to Max Hospital, Dehradun, where he will undergo MRI scans to ascertain the extent of his injuries and formulate his further course of treatment.”
Pant’s condition was stable, hospital doctor Ashish Yagnik told news reporters.
Shocking accident caught on camera. #RishabhPant's car crashed into a divider, car caught fire 6 minutes after the crash. pic.twitter.com/nsWrFvji73
— Shubhankar Mishra (@shubhankrmishra) December 30, 2022
Fans and members of India’s cricket fraternity expressed shock at the news regarding Pant accident and wished Pant a speedy recovery.
“Praying for Rishabh Pant. Thankfully he is out of danger,” former Test cricketer VVS Laxman said on Twitter. “Get well soon Champ.”
Pant was on Wednesday left out of the squads for next week’s T20 and ODI tour by Sri Lanka.
Read more: Deposed captain Kohli gear up for one-day series
His omission came days after his match-winning innings of 93 in the second Test against Bangladesh, helping India secure a 2-0 series whitewash.
AFP story with additional input by Global Village Space News Desk.