India cricket star and IPL team captain Pant to have surgery in Mumbai
India cricket’s wicketkeeper and IPL team Delhi Capitals’s captain Rishabh Pant is set to have surgery in Mumbai following his involvement in a car crash last week.
The 25-year-old has been a star on the Indian cricket scene in all formats for a number of years and could miss the Test series against Australia, which begins next month.
In addition to the Test series, it’s reported that Pant could “skip” this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL).
Police reports state that Pant’s car caught fire and flipped over twice after the IPL star “dozed off” and lost control.
The crash took place close to his hometown of Roorkee.
“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,” said the chair of India’s governing body – the BCCI – Jay Shah in a statement.
Pant has played 31 Tests for India, scoring over 2,000 runs and knocking a career high of 159 not out. In the shorter formats, Pant has played 27 one-day matches and 66 Twenty20 Internationals.
Pant holds the IPL record for the highest individual score for an Indian in the competition’s history as well as the second youngest IPL century scorer.
The Indian star has been the captain of the Delhi Capitals – who are yet to win the IPL – for the last two years.
Pant should be available for the India one-day squad later this year as they host the 50-over World Cup in the autumn.
England go into that tournament as defending champions and one of the favourites but famously lost a World Cup final – albeit a T20 one – in the country in 2016.