As a result, Pant is at risk of being sidelined for at least six months, which could potentially affect his chances of being fit for selection for the ODI World Cup to be held in India in October-November.
Last week, Pant had undergone knee surgery after his right ligaments were damaged in an accident while he was driving from Delhi to meet his family in Roorkee. As one of India’s top contracted players, Pant was airlifted from Dehradun at the behest of the BCCI and brought to Mumbai last week to be kept under the supervision of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, one of the specialist surgeons contracted by the board.
Since the accident and surgery, the BCCI released three medical bulletins, one of which stated that Pant had also suffered an injury to his right ankle. ESPNcricinfo has learned that in Pant’s case, all three ligaments of the knee – anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament – which are essential for speed and stability, have been torn. The recent surgery is understood to have reconstructed both the PCL and the MCL. Pant will have to undergo another surgery to reconstruct his ACL, but doctors will wait for at least six weeks before going ahead with it.
There is no definite timeline given by the doctors yet as to how long it will take for Pant to resume training but both the BCCI and the selectors have concluded that the wicketkeeper-batsman will be out for at least six months.
The selectors have named KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan as wicketkeeper substitutes in Pant’s absence for the first part of the Australia Test series. Bharath and Kishan will also play the role of keeper in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting next week.
