Indian star batsman and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant had a close shave on Friday morning after his Mercedes car collided with a divider and caught fire. The incident occurred while he was travelling from Delhi to Dehradun to spend New Year with family.
Pant was driving his Mercedes car that hit a divider on Delhi-Dehradun highway near Roorkee in Uttarakhand. He was alone in the car and broke a window to escape from the vehicle after it caught fire.
He has sustained injuries to his head, knee and shin as a result of the accident. The batsman has been admited to Max Hospital in Dehradun. His car has been completely gutted in the mishap.
As per sources, Pant's car collided with a pile of soil and rolled over multiple times before colliding with guard rails on the Highway and caught fire.Some men present at the site saw the burning car and rushed to the area. However, instead of helping him get out of the car, they reportedly took away Pant's money bag and fled.
The injured cricketer himself managed to come out of the car and called an ambulance and alerted the cops.
After getting the information, Superintendent of Police Dehat Swapna Kishore Singh reached the spot and launched a probe.
"Cricketer Rishabh Pant's car met with an accident between Manglaur and Narsan in Haridwar district. He has been shifted to Max Hospital Dehradun after giving primary treatment at Roorkee Civil Hospital. Accident took place on NH-58 of Manglaur PS area," said SP Dehat Swapan Kishore.
Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), provided an update on wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant after he was injured in a road accident, saying that the left-handed batter is "stable" and is "undergoing scans".
"My thoughts and prayers are with Rishabh Pant as he fights his way back to recovery. I have spoken to his family and the doctors treating him. Rishabh is stable and undergoing scans. We are closely monitoring his progress and will provide him with all the necessary support," tweeted Shah.
"We are in touch with the hospital and they informed us that Rishabh is responding well. We will provide all the necessary help to the family. We wish for his speedy recovery," DDCA President Rohan Jaitley told IANS.
VVS Laxman, the former India Test cricketer and current chairman of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), wished Pant a speedy recovery. "Praying for Rishabh Pant. Thankfully he is out of danger. Wishing @RishabhPant17 a very speedy recovery. Get well soon Champ," he tweeted.
His IPL team, Delhi Capitals, had earlier tweeted about the accident without going into the details of the injuries. "Rishabh Pant met with an accident between Manglaur and Narsan in Haridwar district. He has now been shifted to a hospital in Dehradun after receiving primary treatment in a hospital in Roorkee."
The franchisecs head coach, former Australia captain, Ricky Ponting, also wished for Pant's speedy recovery. "Thinking of @RishabhPant17. Hope you're on the mend and back on your feet soon."
"Wishing dear @RishabhPant17 a super speedy recovery. Bahut hi Jald swasth ho jaao," tweeted former India cricketer Virender Sehwag.
"Really hope Rishabh Pant is ok. The car looks absolutely quashed. Horrific to see even," tweeted India opener Abhinav Mukund.
"Wish you a speedy recovery brother .. Our prayers are with you and your family. God Bless," tweeted former India cricketer Suresh Raina.
"I hope you are ok bhai praying for your quick recovery get well soon champ @RishabhPant17," tweeted Afghanistan T20I captain Rashid Khan.
Pant was part of the India Test squad that sealed a 2-0 series victory over Bangladesh a couple of days ago in Dhaka. He was not named in India's T20I and ODI squads for matches against Sri Lanka starting from January 3.