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Rediff.com  » Sports » Bengal cricketer battling for life after car crash

Bengal cricketer battling for life after car crash

Source: PTI
October 20, 2009 10:23 IST
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Bengal all-rounder Avik Chowdhury was seriously injured when his car rammed into a divider on the Eastern Metropolitan bypass.

Paralysed from waist down after the terrible accident on Sunday, the 24-year-old Chowdhury is being treated by neurologists specially flown in from New Delhi and Chennai.

"From what we came to know this evening, there has been no further deterioration in his condition. He is clinically better," Cricket Association of Bengal president Jagmohan Dalmiya said on Monday.

"We are giving full support to him and ensuring that he gets the best treatment," said Dalmiya.

Bengal have named Arindam Ghosh as Chowdhury's replacement for the Mushtaq Ali East Zone Twenty20 tournament to be held in Dhanbad and the players will leave on Tuesday.

According to hospital sources, two neurosurgeons from the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi and a spinal chord specialist from Chennai have arrived to attend the cricketer.

"There was haemorrhage in the lungs, but it has stopped today. There is still threat to his life, but his condition has improved slightly," said an attending doctor.

"He has suffered injuries in the abdomen, diaphragm and the spinal cord with fractures in three vertebrae. His entire lower half is paralysed. Until his condition is stable, we cannot operate upon him. Even MRI could not be done to assess the damage to his spinal chord," he said.

Chowdhury was driving a red colour Hyundai car that went out of control and rammed into a divider between Kalikapur and Ruby Hospital on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.

Earlier in the day, Chowdhury played Bengal's practice match at Eden Gardens and bowled two overs for 16 runs with one wicket and scored 15 from eight balls.

After playing the match, he picked up his friends from Golf Green and was driving to Lake Town when the accident took place.

"The CAB is giving full support to Chowdhury. The state sport minister Kanti Ganguly too is giving his full cooperation," CAB joint-secretary Dey said.

An employee of the income tax department, Chowdhury also led Bengal at the junior level and plays for Kalighat at the club-level.

Having made his Ranji Trophy debut last season, Chowdhury is also a part of the preliminary Kolkata Knight Riders squad in the Indian Premier League.

He has seven first-class matches and 13 List A matches, and turned out for Indian Revenue in the BCCI Corporate Trophy last month, where he scored an unbeaten 110 against ITC in Mohali.

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