New Delhi: Star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is all set to "undergo surgery for ligament tears", the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stated on Wednesday, effectively ruling him out of competitive cricket for an indefinite period.
Pant will now be missing the Test series against Australia and also the Indian Premier League.
Pant has been 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, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a press release.
The BCCI decided to shift Pant to Mumbai by air ambulance since he is not in a position to fly by a commercial airline.
"Rishabh, who is currently receiving treatment for his injuries at Max Hospital, Dehradun, following a car accident on 30th December, will be brought to Mumbai in an air ambulance," Shah said in the release.
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," Shah said.
"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 on the NH-58 highway before hitting the divider.
Pant sustained cuts on his forehead, a severely bruised back along with injuries on his knee and ankle.
While most injuries are superficial, the worrying factor will be the ankle and knee injuries.
Being a centrally-contracted cricketer, his treatment is the board's prerogative.
The MRIs of his injured knee and ankle couldn't be performed as there was extensive swelling and hence the degree of tear is yet to be ascertained.
However, it is understood that any sports-related injury diagnosis and prognosis for a centrally-contracted cricketer will be done by the BCCI's panel of doctors and the rehabilitation and recuperation will be managed by the Sports and Medical Science team at the National Cricket Academy, led by Dr Nitin Patel.