Indian cricketer's wife fumes over leaked photos of crash: 'Shame'

Ritika Sajdeh, the wife of Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma, has lashed out at the leaking of photos showing fellow India star Rishabh Pant in hospital following his scary car accident last week. Pant is in a stable condition in hospital following a luck escape from a horrifying wreck which left his car completely destroyed.

Pant reportedly had to break a window on his car and was aided by passers-by who helped pull him from the wreckage of his Mercedes. The star wicketkeeper reportedly fell asleep behind the wheel briefly, leading to him colliding with a road divider at high speed and rolling.

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The vehicle burst into flames soon afterwards, such was the severity of the accident. Pant is in a stable condition, but suffered a torn ligament in his left knee, a cut to his head, as well as other injuries to his wrist, ankle, toe and back.

There was an outpouring of concern and support for Pant in the aftermath of the crash, with cricketers from around the world sending their well-wishes to the injured star. However Sajdeh was left unimpressed after photos showing Pant in hospital were leaked to social media.

“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,” she wrote to her 2.1 million followers on Instagram. “They have family and friends who were terribly affected by these images. There’s journalism and then there is just insensitivity.”

Local police told AFP the cricket superstar was 'lucky to survive'. He was the only person in the car, which burst into flames after the 25-year-old reportedly drifted off-course and collided with a road divider.

Eyewitness to Rishabh Pant crash describes horrific scene

Eyewitness to the crash Sushil Kumar spoke to the Hindustan Times and other outlets about the scary scene. A driver for Haryana Roadways, Kumar encountered the accident moments after it happened in the early hours of the morning.

“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.”

Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), tweeted: "Rishabh is stable and undergoing scans. We are closely monitoring his progress and will provide him with all the necessary support." Pant's Indian Premier League team Delhi Capitals said the crash occurred between Manglaur and Narsan in Haridwar district.

The 25-year-old has captained India in several one-day international matches, as well as having played 33 Test matches. He boasts a particularly formidable record in Australia, where he averages 62.40 runs from seven matches.

Since making his Test debut in 2018, Pant firmly established himself in the Indian team thanks to standout performances in Australia last year. His man-of-the-match winning second innings knock of 89 steered India to an unlikely victory at the Gabba which sealed the Border-Gavaskar series for the visitors.

Pant's last Test outing came against Bangladesh last week, in which he scored 93 in the second match of their series. The 25-year-old has accumulated 2271 Test runs at 43.67, including five centuries.

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