Rishabh Pant's doctor comments on ‘unnecessary' somersaults, calls him extremely lucky to be alive after car accident

Mint

9 hours ago

Rishabh Pant was seen doing somersaults in recent times to celebrate his century. While many called it 'Rishabh being Rishabh', many fans were worried because of his history of a near-fatal car accident.
Rishabh Pant did a somersault after his IPL century this year as the LSG captain. In the 1st Test against England, Pant scored a century in each innings. He was seen doing the somesault again on the British soil.
He later spoke to Cheteshwar Pujara about his viral somersault celebration. He said he had three ideas, including 'let the bat do the talking'.
However, he chose the somersault as it was personal. Pant was trained in gymnastics at school and said he could do it anytime.
'Even if you wake me up in the middle of the night, I can do a somersault,' Pant said.
Rishabh added, after his accident, he had worked hard to regain the skill. He again did a somersault
Now, the doctor who saved him has spoken about it. He said Rishabh was 'extremely lucky to be alive'.
'Rishabh trained as a gymnast. Although he looks large, he is quite agile, and he does have a lot of flexibility,' Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala told The Telegraph.
'And, that's why he's been doing those somersaults of late.
'It's a well-practised and perfected move – unnecessary though!' he added.
Dr Pardiwala says Pant now values life more and is very motivated. Earlier, Pant focused more on cricket skills than fitness. But, after the accident, he started working harder on his fitness and recovery.
Rishabh Pant returned to cricket nearly four months earlier than expected after his serious car accident. Doctors had told him full recovery might take 18 months, but he played in the IPL after 14 months.
Pant received a standing ovation and impressed everyone by scoring well and keeping wickets in every match. Later, he hit a century in a Test against Bangladesh.
Rishabh Pant survived a major car crash on December 30, 2022, while driving from Delhi to Roorkee. His car overturned, skidded 200 metres, hit a divider and caught fire. Pant escaped through a broken window with the help of two bystanders but suffered serious injuries to his head, back, legs and feet. His right knee was badly dislocated, and large areas of skin were scraped off.
Doctors said he was fortunate his blood vessels were not damaged, or he could've lost his leg. In Mumbai, surgeon Dr Pardiwala performed major surgery to reconstruct Pant's knee.
For weeks, Pant couldn't brush his teeth or hold a glass due to swelling and skin loss. He needed crutches to walk for four months.