Sunil Gavaskar breaks silence on Rishabh Pant saying NO to his Somersault celebration request
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Rishabh Pant, the icon of modern-day Test cricket in India, has inspired all, including the great Sunil Gavaskar. The veteran seemed excited to see Pant's landmark celebration after the wicket-keeper batter notched a stunning hundred in the second innings of the Leeds Test.
Rishabh Pant started the new ICC World Test Championship cycle on a strong note as he scored twin hundreds in the first test of India's tour to England.
Sunil Gavaskar signals Pant to show his trademark double-flip
Rishabh Pant emerged as the second wicket-keeper batsman in the history of Test cricket to score twin hundreds across both innings of the Headingley Test.
He also joined the likes of Sachin Tendulkar (4) and Dilip Vengsarkar (4) to have the joint-most hundreds scored by an Indian on English soil.
After Pant scored the second hundred in the second innings at Leeds, everyone, including the veteran Sunil Gavaskar, awaited Rishabh's famous somersault celebration.
The former Indian great also signaled Pant to bring out his somersault celebration. However, the batter denied it, probably hinting that he would do it sometime later.
“Very, very happy. I mean, anytime an Indian does well, you feel very happy because you know the passion for cricket in India, how just about every, in every family, I'm sure there is at least one person who, it might not be everybody, at least one person who follows the game.” Gavaskar replied when asked about Pant.
“You know what, I've got to confess that after that I came here and I tried not to do the backflip, no chance of, at my age, but I used to do the backstand and I was looking to do the backstand,” said Gavaskar.
Sunil Gavaskar seemed in a jolly mood as he proclaimed that if he could have pulled off a backflip during his old times, then he would have done it, though that doesn't suit the standards of his age.
Sunil Gavaskar earlier called 'stupid' to Pant during the BGT
This incident dates back to December 2024, when India played against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rishabh Pant seemed an eminent batter in the Indian side; however, his major dip in form raised the eyebrows of several veterans.
Rishabh Pant, despite not scoring many runs, displayed a wide array of shots, which included ramp shots, sweeps, and scoops. In an attempt to play such a shot, Rishabh Pant was dismissed at a crucial juncture of the game, resulting in India losing momentum in the innings.
It was when Sunil Gavaskar was in the commentary box and, out of frustration, he screamed 'stupid,' showing displeasure at Pant's audacious antics. This led to immense criticism, while Pant, too, hit back at the remark with some mockery of the former legend.
Rishabh Pant's celebration dates back to IPL 2025
Rishabh Pant's somersault celebration has gained widespread love and acceptance from cricket fans as well as several experts. Pant was part of the Indian Premier League team Lucknow Super Giants.
He missed on several runs in the IPL season but never failed to entertain the crowd with his antics. Rishabh Pant scored a stunning hundred in the final league match of the season and followed it with a double-flip celebration.
This was the first time Pant showed his pro skills as a gymnast, and since then, this has turned out to be his trademark. He donned a similar celebration after the hundred in the first innings of the Leeds test as well.
Tagged:
India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team Rishabh Pant Sunil Gavaskar ICC World Test Championship India vs England England vs India Lucknow Super Giants IPL
