Injured India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant has been shifted to a private suite from the ICU due to a high risk of catching infection, said Shyam Sharma, DDCA Director.
On Friday morning, Pant, 25, suffered multiple injuries when his car collided with a road divider and caught fire on the Delhi-Dehradun highway. The horrific car accident happened between Manglaur and Narsan in the Haridwar district in the state of Uttarakhand.
Pant is currently admitted to Max Hospital in Dehradun after being initially taken to Saksham Hospital Multispecialty and Trauma Centre. He was on his way to his hometown Roorkee from New Delhi and was driving his Mercedes car.
"He's fine right now and has been shifted to a private suite from the ICU. There are chances of an infection and that can catch up more, which is why he has been shifted to a private suite," Sharma told IANS.
As per an official statement from the BCCI on Friday afternoon, Pant has two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back after the car accident.
Later in the evening, a medical bulletin said the results of Pant's MRI of the brain and spine came out as normal. It added that Pant also underwent plastic surgery to manage his facial injuries, lacerated wounds and abrasions.
Asked about the status of Pant's right knee and ankle injuries, Sharma said, "As far as injuries to knee ligament and ankle are concerned, when the pain will reduce, then the BCCI will take a call on it. The team of doctors by the BCCI will decide (further course of treatment)."
Sharma also requested people to not come to the hospital to visit Pant as there are high chances of getting an infection. "When I went to meet him for the first time on Saturday, we were told that the visitors should not come as there are high chances of getting an infection."
"His family is there, which is fine, as well as players who are coming to meet him. Yesterday, many high-ranking people came to meet him, but it is not helping anyone. I myself was there for just five minutes and then came out."
"Just pray for him and his recovery. Don't come to visit him. It is not for the players though; they can come and motivate him. The more his friends come, the better it is for him."
Pant was part of the India Test squad that sealed a 2-0 series victory over Bangladesh a couple of days ago in Dhaka, where he hit a match-winning 93 in the first innings of the second Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
He was not named in India's T20I and ODI squads for matches against Sri Lanka starting from January 3 in Mumbai.