Rishabh Pant Accident: Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra calls for `psychological support` to wicketkeeper, says THIS

Rishabh Pant was airlifted from a Dehradun hospital to Mumbai where he will undergo extensive treatment for ligament injuries in the knee and ankle which he had sustained during a car crash on December 30.

Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra has lauded the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for helping out Rishabh Pant in his difficult phase but said the board must also provide the India cricketer ‘psychological support’. The Delhi Capitals captain Pant is all set to ‘undergo surgery for ligament tears’, the BCCI stated on Wednesday (January 4), effectively ruling him out of competitive cricket for an indefinite period.

Pant was airlifted from a Dehradun hospital to Mumbai where he will undergo extensive treatment for ligament injuries in the knee and ankle which he had sustained during a car crash on December 30. “Wonderful that the board is looking after Rishabh’s recovery. Must also provide psychological support as part of the healing and recovery process!” Bindra tweeted.

Shooting ace Bindra, who claimed a historic gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, runs the Abhinav Bindra Sports Medicine and Research Institute (ABSMARI) – a one-of-a-kind institute for physiotherapy in the country with a world-class biomechanical and sports science laboratory set up for academic purposes – in Bhubaneswar.

Pant will be treated by noted sports orthopaedic surgeon Dinshaw Pardiwala. “He will be admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute and will be under the direct supervision of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, Head - the Centre for Sports Medicine, and Director - Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service at the hospital,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement earlier in the day.

“Rishabh will undergo surgery and subsequent procedures for ligament tears and will continue to be monitored by the BCCI Medical Team throughout his recovery and rehabilitation. The Board will make every effort to aid and expedite the recovery process of Rishabh and will provide him with all the support he needs during this period,” he added.

Pant, 25, survived a horrific car accident when he was driving from Delhi to his hometown Rourkee but lost control of the vehicle on the NH-58 highway before hitting the divider. The player sustained cuts on his forehead, and have a severely bruised back along with injuries on his knee and ankle.

(with PTI inputs)