Rishabh Pant set to miss Australia Test series, IPL 2023: Reports

Rishabh Pant set to miss Australia Test series, IPL 2023: Reports: Rishabh Pant's unfortunate car accident in the early hours of Friday (30th December) seems to have spoiled his half of the cricketing calendar in 2023. The Indian wicketkeeper batter, who is currently undergoing his treatment in the Max Hospital, Dehradun, is likely to remain out of action for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

On 30th December, Rishabh was driving home from Delhi to surprise his mother when his Mercedes car went out of control and slammed into the dividers thereby giving major injuries to the cricketer. Fortunately, the cricketer survived a major accident and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

As of now, Rishabh Pant is stable and doing fine. He has suffered a couple of wounds on his forehead, injuries to his right wrist, ankle, and toe and a ligament tear on his right knee.

As per the doctor at AIIMS Rishikesh, who sees the sports injury department, a ligament tear usually takes three to six months of recovery period depending upon the extent of the tear, or grades.

"Pant will take at least three to six months to recover from the ligament injury. And if it?s severe, he may take more time. Further evaluation can be based on his detailed injury report," said doctor Qamar Azam, AIIMS Rishikesh.

With the injuries Rishabh has suffered, he is very likely to miss the four-match test series against Australia in 2023. The Australia tour of India 2023 will begin on 9th February in Nagpur. Moreover, his participation in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is also under threat. IPL 2023 is reported to kickstart in the first week of April.

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Rishabh Pant has been a massive force for team India in the test format for a very long time. His heroics against Australia in the last Border Gavaskar Trophy still remain atop the memories of avid cricket fans. His routine performances in the traditional format of cricket have made him a vital cog in India's test lineup.

Pant's absence will force the BCCI to draft an immediate replacement for the Australia test series. Either KS Bharat can be handed a test cap or Wriddhiman Saha could be brought back to the test side.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals (DC) will have a hard time finding Rishabh's alternate, if the cricketer gets unavailable for the IPL 2023. Although DC still have a couple of good captaincy options in the team, Pant's absence will be felt in the team.

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