Follow UsRishabh Pant’s somersault celebration after hitting a hundred in the first innings of the Leeds Test became instantly viral on the internet, drawing a lot of attention to his incredible agility.
The Indian wicket-keeper batter pulled out that celebration for the first time in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) when he scored a hundred against RCB after a very lacklustre season in the world’s premier T20 franchise tournament.
Pant’s surgeon, Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, told the Telegraph that the Indian player was extremely lucky to be alive after a fatal accident in December 2022, where he was critically injured.
When asked about Pant’s somersault celebrations, Pardiwala said that he could do it because he has trained as a gymnast; however, such high intensity celebrations are unnecessary, as he can risk injury even though he has perfected it.
“Rishabh trained as a gymnast. Although he looks large, he is quite agile, and he does have a lot of flexibility,” Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala said.
“And, that’s why he’s been doing those somersaults of late. It’s a well-practised and perfected move – unnecessary though.”
Pant also scored a hundred in the second innings of the first Test against England but didn’t pull out any somersaults despite Sunil Gavaskar’s insistence, much to Dr. Pardiwala’s relief.