India’s Rishabh Pant to be airlifted to Mumbai for surgery after car crash

Published
Members of hospital staff push a stretcher carrying Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant to an ambulance in Dehradun on January 4. — AFP
Members of hospital staff push a stretcher carrying Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant to an ambulance in Dehradun on January 4. — AFP

Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant will be airlifted to Mumbai for surgery, the country’s cricket board said on Wednesday, nearly a week after he suffered several injuries in a road accident.

The national team wicketkeeper-batsman was driving his Mercedes SUV from New Delhi to his hometown Roorkee, a few hours north of the Indian capital, when it crashed into the median before dawn on Friday and immediately caught fire.

The 25-year-old was rescued by a bus driver and conductor on the highway and rushed to a local hospital for treatment before being shifted to an advanced facility in Dehradun.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said Pant “will be brought to Mumbai in an air ambulance” and admitted to a leading private hospital.

“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 BCCI said.

The player had damaged a ligament in his right knee, hurt his wrist, ankle, and had abrasion injuries on his back, the BCCI said in an earlier statement.

Pant was “recovering well”, the director of Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) Shyam Sharma told AFP.

A maverick batsman, Pant is the mainstay of the Test squad and has played a key role in some of India’s most memorable wins in the last three years.

He also represents Delhi on the domestic circuit and leads the city team in the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

Days before the crash, Pant was left out of the squads for the ongoing T20 and ODI tour by Sri Lanka.

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.

Opinion

Editorial

Gulf flare-up
Updated 09 Jul, 2026

Gulf flare-up

IS the fragile US-Iran ceasefire — and the memorandum of understanding that underpins it — collapsing? Unless...
Costly food
09 Jul, 2026

Costly food

THE recent decline in diesel and LPG prices should have brought some relief to consumers struggling with high food...
Unliveable city
09 Jul, 2026

Unliveable city

IT comes as no surprise. Karachi — Pakistan’s largest city, its financial engine and home to over 20m people —...
Hamas’s move
Updated 08 Jul, 2026

Hamas’s move

THE decision taken by Hamas to relinquish governance of Gaza appears to be designed to put the onus on the US and...
Terrorism threat
Updated 08 Jul, 2026

Terrorism threat

THE surge in terrorist violence in Balochistan highlights the renewed threat confronting Pakistan. The martyrdom of...
Football meddling
08 Jul, 2026

Football meddling

AFTER ending co-hosts America’s World Cup run in the last-16 stage, Belgium felt justice had been served. It was...