Star Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. file | Photo Credit: PTI
Star Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant on Monday thanked all his fans and well-wishers for their support and wishes as he continues his treatment. after meeting in a car accident Last year.
Pant said his surgery was successful and his “road to recovery” has begun. He thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and government officials for their “incredible support”.
“I am humbled and grateful for all the support and well wishes. I am happy to inform you that my surgery was successful. The road to recovery has begun and I look forward to the challenges ahead. Thank you @BCCI, @JayShah and for their unwavering support to the government officials,” Pant tweeted.
Notably, Pant is expected to be out of the cricket field for most of 2023 and is expected to miss several major competitions including the IPL. Pant, who narrowly escaped a car accident on December 30, has ruptured all three major ligaments in his knee, according to the medical update received by the BCCI.
Two of them have already undergone reconstruction, and surgery on the third is scheduled for six weeks from now. ESPNcricinfo.
As a result, Pant is likely to miss at least six months of action, which could adversely affect his chances of getting selected for the ODI World Cup to be held in India in October-November. Pant had a successful knee surgery in early January.
Pant, one of India’s top contracted players, was flown to Mumbai from Dehradun in January on the instructions of the BCCI and was kept under the care of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, a special surgeon appointed by the board. Since the accident and surgery, the BCCI released three medical bulletins, one of which revealed that Pant had also suffered an injury to his right ankle.
The medial collateral ligament (MCL), which is important for stability and motion, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) were all damaged in Pant’s scenario, according to information obtained by ESPNcricinfo,
It is believed that both the PCL and MCL were reconstructed during recent surgery. Pant will require additional surgery to reconstruct his ACL, but the procedure will not be carried out for at least six weeks. No definite time frame has been set by the doctors yet for Pant to return to training but the BCCI and the selectors have determined that the wicketkeeper-batsman will be out for at least six months.
Pant was rested for the home series against Sri Lanka, as his previous appearance had come in the December away series in Bangladesh. He was not included in the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia and the first two Tests in the New Zealand series. Moreover, Pant, who leads Delhi Capitals, will not be available for the IPL, which starts on April 1.
If India reaches the final of the World Test Championship in June, Pant will miss that match as well. In Pant’s absence for the first part of the Australia Test series, the selectors have picked KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan as the backup wicket-keeper selections. Bharath and Kishan will be competing for the wicketkeeper’s role in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting next week.