Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, the physician who operated on Rishabh Pant following his automobile accident in December 2022, said that the cricketer’s knee was approximately 90 degrees from its usual position following the tragic disaster. The doctor also stated that the keeper-batter required assistance from someone at the accident scene to straighten his knee so that he could get out of the automobile.
Rishabh Pant’s absence from cricket started after a terrible car accident on December 30 morning, 2022. Recovering for over a year, he prepares to return during IPL 2024. It commences March 22.
In part one of a unique video series named ‘Miracle Man’ on bcci.tv, Dr. Pardiwala, Director, Centre for Sports Medicine, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, discussed the intricacies of Pant’s injury and the difficulties of operating on him.
“Whenever you get a knee dislocation, then you are going to break many things around it,” Dr. Pardiwala said. “His two major injuries were the knee and the ankle for the right knee and the right ankle. His right knee had a dislocation,” he added.
Dr. Pardiwala went on to say that Rishabh Pant’s skin was scraped off as he was being taken out of the automobile due to the presence of glass pieces, which exacerbated his pre-existing ailments.
“Rishabh remembers very well that his knee was completely out and was lying almost 90 degrees to the normal position. He, in fact, required a little bit of help from someone there to straighten his knee so that he could get out of the car and be pulled out,” the doctor said.
During the process of being pulled out, because there was glass pieces everywhere, his skin got scraped off, so that added to the whole, you know, soft tissue injury part of it. So, from the bone and joint part, he had, you know, broken a lot of things,” he added.
Dr. Pardiwala described knee dislocation as one of the most serious injuries for knee surgeons, adding that Rishabh Pant’s unbroken blood arteries and nerves were a significant advantage.
“Fortunately for him, his blood vessels, which supply the blood supply to the rest of the leg, that was intact, and his nerves, which supply sensation were also intact. For us as knee surgeons, knee dislocation is one of the worst injuries because everything breaks. And, when everything breaks, you need to get back the stability and your ligaments give it stability,” the doctor said.
“You need to get back the shock absorption capability. So, that’s the meniscus, which was torn, so that needs to be taken care of. You need to get back movement, so that the knee doesn’t get stiff and, at the same time, you need enough muscle strength to allow that movement,” he added.
Rishabh Pant has resumed to training in preparation for the IPL 2024, sharing footage of his keeping and batting workouts on social media.
“None of the ligaments were spared during that accident” – NCA physiotherapist on Rishabh Pant’s injuries
Dhananjay Kaushik, Physiotherapist, NCA, shared his findings on Pant’s injuries in the mishap, revealing that all of the cricketer’s right knee ligaments were injured.
“If you are talking about the right knee, none of the ligaments were spared during that accident. So, you talk about ACL, PCL, lateral collateral ligament, medial collateral ligament – you name it and he didn’t have it,” he told bcci.tv.
However, Kaushik lauded Pant’s mental determination in the aftermath of the vehicle accident and asserted:
“I think if there is anyone who could make a comeback from this, it’s just Rishabh Pant. With the kind of attitude he has got…”
Rishabh Pant will most likely play when the Delhi Capitals face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on March 23 in Mohali.