BCCI medical team set to handle Rishabh Pant's ligament injuries; assessment and treatment to take place in Mumbai or abroad - Reports 

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team will take over from the Max Hospital in Dehradun to attend to Rishabh Pant's ligament injuries. The wicketkeeper-batter is said to have sustained several ligament ruptures during a horrific car collision on Friday, December 30.

Pant will reportedly be discharged from the hospital upon initial observation to treat his external injuries such as multiple lacerations across his body and abrasions on the back. He is said to have undergone minor plastic surgery to tend to facial injuries as well.

In a bit of major respite, MRI scans for the cricketer's brain and spinal cord have come out as normal. According to a report by the Times of India, the BCCI medical team has held conversations with the doctors at the Max Hospital currently tending to Pant.

After positive talks between the two parties, it has been decided that the ligament injuries will solely be handled by the BCCI, for which the player could be flown to Mumbai or even abroad. A BCCI source told TOI on Friday evening:

"It has been conveyed to Pant’s family members and doctors in Dehradun that his ligament treatment will be overseen by BCCI. Pant will be discharged from Dehradun hospital after staying observation. After that, he will be assessed by BCCI’s doctors in Mumbai and further treatment will be decided. It could happen abroad as well.”

Based on the initial diagnosis by the doctors, his participation in Team India's crucial Border-Gavaskar series against Australia looks highly unlikely. The wicketkeeper-batter was not selected for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka and was asked to report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for knee strength training.

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The car accident may have aggravated Rishabh Pant's existing knee issues

The Delhi-born cricketer was released from the squad for the Bangladesh ODI series at the last minute due to an apparent injury, the nature of which, was not disclosed.

The fact that Pant was carrying a niggle on his knee prior to the incident only complicates his return to competitive cricket, which does not have a timeframe at the moment. The source said:

“The team management had already decided that he would not have played any of the T20Is or ODIs against the touring Sri Lanka and New Zealand teams over the next month. He was supposed to reach National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru on Jan 6 for strengthening his knee."

The source added:

"He was told that he was needed fit for the Australia series and then the subsequent ODI series before the IPL. He was already carrying the niggle. The accident may have aggravated it.”

The severe nature of the sustained injuries makes the player's participation highly unlikely for the home series against Australia and even the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). His return may hinge on the rate of progress during recovery and rehabilitation once he is discharged from the hospital and is in a prolonged stable condition.

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