Doctor who saved Rishabh Pant's life post car accident reacts to India vice captain signature 'somersault' celebration, calls it 'Unnecessary...'

Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, a Mumbai-based orthopaedic surgeon who treated Rishabh Pant following his serious accident in December 2022, believes his somersault celebrations are "perfected" but "unnecessary."

Pant's luxury car crashed into a divider while he was driving to his home in Roorkee in December 2022. He sustained multiple injuries and underwent ligament reconstruction surgery on his right knee. He was initially admitted to Dehradun and later airlifted to Mumbai, where Pardiwala managed his surgeries at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri West.

The wicketkeeper-batter was sidelined from cricket for over a year and underwent extensive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy before making his comeback for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024. He scored two centuries against England in the recent Headingley Test, becoming the first Indian 'keeper to achieve this, and celebrated the first with a somersault, mirroring his IPL 2025 celebrations for Lucknow Super Giants.

“Rishabh trained as a gymnast – and so although he looks large, he is quite agile, and he does have a lot of flexibility," 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.

“He recognises the fact that he was extremely lucky to be alive. He’s so motivated as a cricketer. If you knew the Rishabh before this happened, he’s a much more mature human being. He’s very philosophical now. He appreciates life and everything that goes around it. That typically happens to anyone who’s faced death in the face. Someone who’s had a near-death experience often gets life into perspective."

“Rishabh Pant was extremely lucky to be alive – extremely lucky. To be in an accident like this, where the car actually overturns and blows up, the risk of death is extremely high," Pardiwala said.

Pant also employed the same celebration earlier in IPL 2025 while playing for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), adding a personal touch to his cricketing achievements.

Notably, Rishabh Pant’s twin centuries at Headingley made him the first Indian batter to score hundreds in both innings of a Test match in England. He also became only the seventh Indian to hit a century in each innings of a Test.