Virat Kohli dragged as Sunil Gavaskar lashes out at Digvesh Singh Rathi's send-off to Priyansh Arya

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar criticized Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi for his celebration after taking a wicket in the IPL 2025 match against Punjab Kings. The legendary cricketer questioned Digvesh Singh Rathi's reaction, adding that such animated gestures are unnecessary.

Chasing 172 for victory, PBSK openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh added 26 runs. Digvesh Rathi conceded a four to Priyansh on the first ball of the third over. However, Digvesh dismissed him just three balls later. Following the wicket, Rathi gave a "Notebook celebration" gesture to send him off.

You're Trying to Show Off - Sunil Gavaskar Slams Digvesh Singh Rathi

Sunil Gavaskar, who was on commentary at the time, lashed out at Digvesh Singh Rathi's animated celebration. Gavaskar stated that such reactions are justified only when a wicket follows a big hit from the batter.

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"I can understand the celebration if the wicket comes after the batsman hits a boundary or a six in the previous ball. As a bowler, you've got six deliveries," Gavaskar said (via Hindustan Times).

"So if you got five dot balls and get a wicket of the sixth, then you do something like that, it's not understandable. But all these gestures mean that you don't expect to get a wicket. And now that you've got a wicket, you're trying to, you know, show off."

Also Read: Sydney Sixers announce Virat Kohli's signing, to become the 1st ever Indian player to do this..

We Know What Virat Kohli Did After That - Sunil Gavaskar

A fellow commentator recalled Kesrick Williams’ famous send-off to Virat Kohli in the 2017 T20I series. Williams had celebrated dismissing Kohli with a similar gesture. Kohli mimicked the celebration in the next match by hitting him for multiple boundaries.

Gavaskar laughed and pointed out that Kohli had settled the score in style.

"We know what Kohli did after that. He hit him for a boundary after boundary after boundary...(laughs)," Gavaskar replied.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took disciplinary action against Digvesh Singh Rathi for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. He was fined 25% of his match fee, and one demerit point was added to his record. The match referee reviewed the incident and classified it as a Level 1 offense.

LSG Face Crushing Defeat After Digvesh Rathi's Early Celebration

Lucknow Super Giants had rare joyous moments to celebrate after Digvesh Singh Rathi’s early wicket, as Punjab Kings dominated the chase. Lucknow struggled to contain the PBKS batters. Prabhsimran Singh scored an explosive 69 off 34 balls, which set the tone. Shreyas Iyer added an unbeaten 52 runs off 30 deliveries.

PBKS reached the target with 22 balls and eight wickets to spare. Rathi was the only wicket-taker for LSG. The leg-spinner picked up two wickets for 30 runs. The victory marked PBKS’ second straight win, while LSG registered their second loss in three matches. The teams will meet again in Dharamsala on May 4.

Punjab Kings climbed to second place in the IPL 2025 standings. They have four points, the same as Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals. All three teams have won their opening two matches.

Also read: Digvesh Singh Rathi given once-in-a-lifetime punishment by BCCI after Priyansh Arya send off