The wife of an Indian cricket star has slammed those who shared or published pictures of wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant’s injuries following a fiery car accident on Friday AEDT.
Pant is in a stable condition in hospital after undergoing plastic surgery for multiple injuries.
The scene of the car accident involving Rishabh Pant (inset).Credit:AP
Images and video of his wounds and his rescue were rapidly loaded to social media and published around the cricketing world including pictures of him from his hospital bed and the burns on his back.
Ritika Sajdeh, the wife of Indian star Rohit Sharma, hit out at those who published and shared the images in an Instagram story on Saturday. Sajdeh has more than 2.1 million followers.
“Shame on you for posting images and videos of someone who’s hurt and unable to decide whether or not they want that out there,” Sajdeh wrote.
“They have family and friends who were terribly affected by these images. There’s journalism and then there is just insensitivity.”
Board of Control for Cricket in India said in a statement the 25-year-old had suffered cuts to his forehead, torn a ligament in his right knee, and hurt his right wrist, ankle and toe along with abrasion injuries on his back.
Police in India said the wicketkeeper-batsman, who was alone in the car when it crashed in the northern state of Uttarakhand, had lost control of the vehicle when he “dozed off”.
The car flipped over twice, police added.
Photographs of the crash showed extensive impact and fire damage to the car.
Multiple reports in Indian media said that after Pant’s car collided with the traffic divider the player had to break open a window to escape the vehicle, which was engulfed in flames.
“Rishabh’s condition remains stable, and he has now been shifted to Max Hospital, Dehradun, where he will undergo MRI scans to ascertain the extent of his injuries and formulate his further course of treatment,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said.
The BCCI’s medical team was in touch with doctors treating the player.
Ritika Sajdeh’s Instagram post.Credit:Instagram
“The board will see to it that Rishabh receives the best possible medical care and gets all the support he needs to come out of this traumatic phase,” Shah added.
Local media reported that the player’s trip to Roorkee was supposed to be a surprise for his mother ahead of the New Year.
Uttarakhand director general of police Ashok Kumar told Reuters: “Pant had told the local police that he lost control on his car after he dozed off for a couple of seconds. The police is investigating the case.”
Pant was part of the India Test squad that sealed a 2-0 series victory over Bangladesh this month. He was not named in their Twenty20 and ODI squads for matches against Sri Lanka next month.
Susheel Kumar, a driver with Haryana Roadways, spoke to local media including the Hindustan Times and gave an eyewitness account of the dramatic rescue.
“I was on my way when I saw a car, being driven at a lot of speed, got disbalanced and crashed into the divider,” he said.
“After the impact, the car landed on the wrong side of the road – the one that goes to Delhi. The car had screeched onto the second lane of the road seeing which I immediately applied the brakes.
“The car had already caught sparks so I and the conductor rushed to get him out of the car. By then the fire has started. Then, three more people came running and got him on a safe side.”
He was the pivotal player in India’s surprise 2-1 series victory in Australia two seasons ago as the leading run scorer for India with 274 at an average of 69.
Pant scored 97 in the third Test at the SCG to force a draw, and then an unbeaten 89 in the fourth Test at Brisbane’s Gabba to ensure a three-wicket win.
National Cricket Academy chairman VVS Laxman was among those wishing Pant a speedy recovery and praised the work of Kumar and those who helped Pant at the scene.
“Praying for Rishabh Pant. Thankfully he is out of danger,” Laxman tweeted.
Australian great Ricky Ponting, head coach of Pant’s Indian Premier League side Delhi Capitals, also expressed his concern.
“Hope you’re on the mend and back on your feet soon,” tweeted the former Australia captain.
With Reuters
