“I was trying to pull that off”: Sunil Gavaskar wanted to celebrate Rishabh Pant’s second innngs century with a backstand
Overview:
Pant became just the second player in Test history to score two centuries as a wicketkeeper-batter.
Rishabh Pant has become a fan favourite, and even former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was eager to see his signature somersault after the batter’s century in the second innings of the first Test against England on Day 4.
Pant became just the second player in Test history to score two centuries as a wicketkeeper-batter. Instead of performing a somersault, Pant signalled towards Gavaskar, possibly indicating ‘later’. He then revealed a new celebration, motioning towards his eye.
Commenting on Rishabh Pant after Day 4’s play, Gavaskar said, “Very, very happy. I mean, anytime an Indian does well, you feel very happy because you know the passion for cricket in India.”
“To make a family happy, if you succeed and India does well, it’s an incredible feeling. And seeing this young kid come back, especially after everything that happened in that crash, is truly remarkable,” he added.
Sunil Gavaskar talking about his gesture when Rishabh Pant scored the hundred. pic.twitter.com/ydiVtkVQ5V
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 23, 2025
“Can you explain what that celebration is? Do you know what it means? I was waiting for that flip, too. I was quite disappointed when he didn’t do a double flip. Knowing Rishabh, he’s always looking to improve his celebrations, but I guess your celebration is probably winning this round,” former England captain Michael Vaughan said.
In response to Vaughan, Gavaskar said, “No, I think it’s a way of thanking the gods above. He had something in his eye, and he was giving us a signal.”
In a light-hearted moment, Gavaskar also joked about his past ability to perform a backstand and how he briefly considered pulling off the same move during the Headingley Test.
“You know, I have to admit that after that, I came here and tried to avoid doing the backflip, no chance at my age. But I used to do the backstand, and I was trying to pull that off,” he mentioned.
“So, if I had managed to do it successfully, I would have shown it here, but I wasn’t able to,” he concluded.
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