“Pant’s Somersault Celebration Is Perfect – But Unnecessary”: Says His Surgeon Dr. Pardiwala
Mumbai: After suffering a life-threatening car accident in December 2022, Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was brought back from the brink thanks to successful knee surgery performed by renowned Mumbai-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala. Following Pant’s dramatic return to cricket, Dr. Pardiwala has now made some thoughtful remarks about Pant’s signature somersault celebration after scoring a century.
Dr. Pardiwala acknowledged,
“Rishabh’s somersault is technically perfect. He has trained like a gymnast, he’s extremely agile, and his athleticism allows such moves. But I don’t think he needs to do all that.”
The 2022 Car Crash
In December 2022, Pant’s luxury car collided with a divider near Roorkee while he was driving home. He sustained multiple injuries. Bystanders rushed him to a hospital in Dehradun, after which he was airlifted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, where Dr. Pardiwala performed surgery on his right knee.
Pant was out of competitive cricket for over a year. He made a dramatic comeback in IPL 2024, and recently created history with two centuries in a single Test against England — a record for Indian wicketkeepers.
Somersault Comeback
Pant celebrated a century in the 2025 IPL for Lucknow Super Giants with a somersault, followed by another such celebration during a Test century at Leeds, catching fans and commentators by surprise.
Dr. Pardiwala added:
“Rishabh knows he is lucky to be alive. His car flipped and caught fire. In such cases, survival is rare. He is one of the lucky few.”
“After coming so close to death, one’s perspective on life changes. Rishabh has matured, he sees life differently now. He’s more philosophical and deeply motivated — both as a person and as a cricketer.”
People close to Pant have also noticed this renewed, more focused attitude in him post-recovery — suggesting that the near-death experience has shaped not just his career, but his outlook on life.