Ahead of Chennai Test, orthopaedic surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala reflects on Rishabh Pant’s recovery

Swashbuckling batman cum-wicket keeper Rishabh Pant, the most popular Delhi cricketer after Virat Kohli, is set to return to the Indian team for the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai, following a severe road accident in December 2022.

All eyes are on Pant as he faces the challenge of Test cricket, despite already excelling in shorter formats, including the T20 World Cup and the 2024 IPL. The five-day Test format, requiring extended periods of wicketkeeping, will be his true test.

On the eve of the Chennai Test, Dr Pardiwala, the orthopaedic surgeon who treated the ace cricketer after his accident, reflects on Pant’s remarkable recovery and early return to the game. Pardiwala, a BCCI consultant and ICC medical advisory committee member, commends Pant for exceeding the expected timeline for his comeback.

Excerpts from the interview:

Did you come on board for Rishabh’s treatment automatically?

Not automatically. I handle many cricketers registered with the BCCI and provide treatment for different types of injuries. For instance, if someone has a head injury, they would go to a concussion specialist; if it’s a hand injury, they would see a hand specialist. However, since I am the chief orthopaedics consultant for the BCCI, any knee or shoulder issues are typically referred to me. That’s how, as soon as Rishabh was injured, the BCCI contacted me and informed me of all the injuries he had sustained, and we proceeded from there.

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What was the first challenge you faced when assessing Rishabh’s injuries?

The priority was, of course, to determine the extent of the injury. When dealing with multiple injuries from a high-velocity accident, the immediate focus is on saving the person’s life and stabilising the situation. It’s crucial not to move the individual until their condition is stable. Ensuring that Rishabh was at Max Hospital in Dehradun, where he received all the necessary primary treatment, was key. The doctors there did a fantastic job of stabilising him and attending to the initial wound care. Once we were certain that he was stable enough to travel, we arranged for an air ambulance to bring him to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.

From the history that Rishabh had provided, we already knew that his knee had been dislocated and was in very bad shape, but he had managed to put it back into its natural position himself. It was then put in a plaster. At that time, while he was still in Dehradun, there was no clinical examination or MRI done. The MRI could only be performed once he arrived in Mumbai. After we examined him and conducted the MRI, we were able to fully assess the extent of the injury, which was quite severe.

Would you say, with the benefit of hindsight, that if Rishabh had been flown straight to Mumbai, it might have helped?

No, absolutely not; that was out of the question. When someone experiences a major accident, the immediate priority is to save their life. You cannot move them until they are completely stabilised. The best course of action is to take the patient to the nearest medical facility, which is what happened in Rishabh’s case when he was taken to the closest centre in Dehradun. Over the next few days, he became fully stable. If we had tried to focus on treating his knee and flown him down before stabilising him, there was a risk of complications like embolism, which could have cost him his life. So, the primary focus was stabilising him, and only after that could we consider flights and further treatment.

Were you satisfied with the treatment he received at the Dehradun hospital?

I was very satisfied; they did an absolutely fabulous job. I was surprised by how well everything was handled. They ensured that the larger wounds were sutured properly, there was no infection, the dressings were done, and the stabilisation was completed. A plastic surgeon and an orthopaedic surgeon were involved, and they did a fantastic job.

By the way, did you check whether this kind of injury had previously occurred to an elite sportsperson, specifically a cricketer, anywhere in the world?

No, it has never happened to an elite cricketer before. High-velocity accidents among elite athletes are relatively rare. When they do occur, like in the case of golfer Tiger Woods and others, a simultaneous knee dislocation has not been reported.

What was the BCCI’s message to you regarding Rishabh’s treatment? Did it give you enough freedom?

Yes, absolutely. In situations like these, it is very difficult to give precise instructions. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore is very professional.

They ensured that one of their team members, Dr Thulasi Ram Yuvaraj, a physiotherapist, was sent to Dehradun to be with Rishabh. He stayed with Rishabh the entire time and even accompanied him in the air ambulance from Dehradun to Mumbai. The NCA always had someone with Rishabh, and they consistently follow their players. The support was absolutely fantastic. The amount of time and effort the BCCI invests in their players is remarkable. Our priority was, of course, to save his life and limb, and ensure he returned to normalcy — and hopefully, even back to cricket, which was our ultimate goal.

What was the exact number of doctors, including your assistants, who worked on Rishabh?

Three of us worked on him from the orthopaedic side. Two were involved from the plastic surgery team, and two were part of the anaesthesia team. On the rehabilitation side, we had Dr Thulasi from the NCA, who was with him at all times. Dr Vaibhav Daga, our cricket physio who had worked with Rishabh at the Delhi Capitals IPL team, was also involved. Since he knew Rishabh well, he played a key role in the rehab process. NCA physiotherapists Nitin Patel and Dhananjay Kaushik also contributed significantly to his recovery. In total, there were 11 people working on him.

How was Rishabh’s attitude towards the treatment and the medical processes that you followed?

It was amazing. The surgery was long and challenging, but it was successful. We managed to repair all the torn ligaments and structures. Everything went smoothly. We informed Rishabh that his work, along with the support of the physiotherapy team, would begin now. Of course, the other wounds still needed to heal, which required multiple treatments. However, we were confident that everything would go well.

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And did Rishabh recover and return to competitive cricket before the time you had expected?

before the time you had expected? Absolutely. By around the 12th month, Rishabh was doing well and played an exhibition game in Bangalore. If I’m not mistaken, it was in the 14th month when he played his first pre-IPL preparatory match in early 2024.

The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi and has covered sports for over three decades