"Did A Lot Of Gymnastics...": Ex-Cricketers React To Rishabh Pant's Viral Somersault Celebration
Swashbuckling India batter Rishabh Pant's perfect somersault after smashing a breathtaking century in the first Test against England has caught the fancy of his legion of fans, while former players felt the acrobatic act that has since gone viral was a statement of his "unique" ways. Pant hit an entertaining 178-ball 134, his seventh Test ton, as India amassed 471 against England under new skipper Shubman Gill on Day 2 of the opening Test here on Saturday. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said Pant probably had been doing gymnastics from a very young age.
"Nothing wrong in that. That's him. Let him be. You know, he's different. At a very young age, he did a lot of gymnastics," said the cricketer-turned-commentator.
"Even if I might have tried it, I think I might have... (but) it would have been to go into the pool," Shastri joked in a video posted by BCCI.
Pant was involved in a horrific car accident in 2022, which left him grievously injured and his return to professional cricket is one of the most heartwarming stories in sport. To perform a somersault like that after undergoing several surgeries is indeed awe-inspiring.
"Rishabh being Rishabh, he does something unique. He does it really well. I think it was unique. No one expected him to do that. I've never tried it. I'll need a lot of practice because that is something if you haven't tried, you can't do it," said India batter Cheteshwar Pujara.
Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik said he was in awe of Pant, as the wicketkeeper-batter was made of a different stuff.
"Neither could I do the somersault like him, nor can I bat like him. I think on both fronts (keeping and batting) he has exceeded expectations. It's quite an effort to do that, actually. And he does it consistently," said Karthik, himself a wicketkeeper-batter.
"When I was very young, my parents did make me participate in gymnastics and I did try and I was an utter failure at that. So, let's just leave it there because he (Pant) is doing it so much nicer when he celebrates it," added Karthik.
"I think I've never seen anything like that in my life. With pads on as well. Amazing," said an English fan.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Archer could return for the second Test against India: report
Injury-prone pacer Jofra Archer could be in the England mix for the second Test against India beginning July 2, as he is set for a red-ball comeback with Sussex at Durham in the County Championship, according to a report. The England pace bowling attack without the likes of Archer and Mark Wood has looked tepid in the opening Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar series with India, led by new skipper Shubman Gill, scoring 471 runs in the first innings at Leeds. 'Jofra Archer will return to red-ball cricket with Sussex — despite not being named in the squad for the County Championship match at Durham. If he comes through the match unscathed, he could be in the mix to play in the second Test against India at Edgbaston,' said a report in Sky Sports. It said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that the pacer will be in Sussex's travelling group for the four-day fixture beginning later on Sunday (June 22, 2025). Archer, who played for Rajasthan Royals in the 2025 IPL season, has not been a part of first-class cricket in four years due to injuries. The 30-year-old quick was initially not in the 12-player travelling squad for the County Championship match, raising doubts about his fitness but the ECB and Sussex later said the Barbadian-English cricketer will be travelling for the match at Chester-le-Street. If Archer is part of the playing XI and his body holds up in the red-ball fixture, he could be in contention for the second Test at Edgbaston from July 2 or the third at Lord's from July 10. Archer has only played white-ball cricket for England since 2021 because of recurring elbow and back injuries. He was initially due to make a red-ball comeback for the England Lions against India A but a thumb injury, suffered during the IPL, did not heal in time. England skipper Ben Stokes had said earlier this month that Archer, who has 42 wickets in 13 Tests, was keen to return to Test cricket. 'Randomly, a couple of times he would just send me a text... I was like, 'Let's just hold it there, alright. I know you're in a good spot right now but let's not just rush into it'. 'He's obviously had a horrific time with injuries but he's had some good amount of cricket, albeit in the white-ball formats,' Stokes had said. 'It's really exciting for England, but also more exciting for Jof (Archer) that he's in a position now where we're able to have a plan in place, and hopefully him get through something to actually be considered for selection for Test cricket.'
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"It's joyful to watch him bat": Dinesh Karthik hails Rishabh Pant's 134 against England
New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): Former cricketer Dinesh Karthik praised the Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant for his 'bold, audacious shots' on the second day of the Leeds Test against England at Headingley on Sunday. Pant slammed 134 runs off 178 balls, which was laced with 12 boundaries and six maximums, scoring at a run-rate of above 75. Speaking about Pant in a video posted by BCCI, Karthik said, 'I enjoy watching Rishabh Pant bat because of what he brings to the table. completely unpredictable. Exhilarating shots. And when I watch him, I don't know on a given day what to expect. That is the box of his test cricket. Walking in, he could just give you anything. And I love that about him. He's willing to take on and play bold, audacious shots. He's one of my most favourite cricketers to watch when he plays test cricket. Because, on a given day, he could take on any bowler depending on what he feels like is right for the day. That is so instinctive and so pure. It's joyful to watch him bat.' On Saturday, Pant overtook former skipper Rohit Sharma, becoming the team's leading six-hitter in the history of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) history. Pant's six count in WTC has gone up to 62, overtaking Rohit's tally of 56 in 40 Tests. The 27-year-old has smashed these sixes in just 35 matches, scoring a total of 2,386 runs at an average of 41.85 with five centuries and 13 fifties in his WTC career. The leading six-hitter in ICC WTC history is England skipper Ben Stokes, who has smashed 83 sixes in 54 Tests. Pant on Saturday also surpassed MS Dhoni to register the most Test centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter and continued his good show in what are regarded as tough wickets in countries outside Asia. Pant now has seven centuries, overtaking Dhoni, who has six Test centuries. This is also his fifth century in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) conditions, the most by an Asian batter. Three of these centuries have come in England and one each have come in Australia and South Africa. Also, he has equalled Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara (seven centuries) for most centuries in Tests as a designated keeper among all Asian countries. Earlier on Friday, Pant also completed his 3,000 Test runs, becoming the second Indian wicketkeeper-batter to do so after Dhoni and overtook Dhoni to become Asia's most successful wicketkeeper-batter in SENA on the basis of run count. In 44 Tests for India, Pant has scored 3,082 runs at an average of 43.40, with seven centuries and 15 fifties in 76 innings. His runs have come at a stunning strike rate of 73.69. (ANI)
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Call it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy: Gavaskar slams England board's jarring move
Former India captain, Sunil Gavaskar, slammed the England cricket board (ECB) for having James Anderson's name ahead of Sachin Tendulkar's when renaming the Pataudi Trophy, England's home Test series against in his column for Mid-Day, was critical of the English board for failing to account for Tendulkar's career, which is miles ahead of Anderson's achievements across all aspects. He also suggested that the Indian legend has been superior across multiple formats as batting great even urged Indian cricket fans to call the ongoing series the Tendulkar-Anderson trophy instead. He did not buy the argument that the series was named in alphabetical order and called it lame altogether. ENG vs IND, 1st Test Day 3 - Live UpdatesThe Pataudi Trophy was given to the winner of the Test series in England against India. The tradition began in 2007 when they celebrated the 75-year anniversary of the contest between the two top teams in English soil.'The ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) is fully entitled to call the series by any name they choose, but for most, if not all, Indian cricket lovers, it is jarring to know that Anderson's name comes first. Not only is Sachin Tendulkar, along with Kapil Dev, the greatest Indian cricketer, but also senior to Anderson by more than a dozen years," Gavaskar is numero uno as far as runs and centuries are concerned in Test cricket, but also at the one-day level, too, he has more runs than anybody else. Anderson is third in the list of wicket takers in Test cricket, and his record is nowhere as good as Tendulkar's in one-day cricket," he even highlighted how Anderson was never part of a team that won a World Cup. Interestingly, Anderson was part of the England squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2010 but never got a game under his belt."Jimmy Anderson was a terrific bowler, but mainly in English conditions, and his record away is nowhere near as good as Tendulkar's is,' he CRITICAL OF PATAUDI MEDALLIONGavaskar had his fair share of questions when the Pataudi medal was announced to pay respect to the royal Pataudi family, who had a lasting impact on the sport within the ECB announced that the medallion would be given to the series-winning captain. However, Gavaskar questioned what would happen should it end in a draw. Instead, he suggested providing the medallion for the man of the match."The announcement of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy also said that respect would be given to the Pataudis by having a medallion for the captain of the team winning the series. Why the captain and what if the series is drawn? That's why it would have been better to have had a Pataudi medal for the Man Of The Match for every Test, culminating in the Pataudi Trophy for the Player Of The Series. This way, the Pataudis will be remembered after every Test match played as well as after the series is finished in would be interesting to hear what Indian cricket lovers feel on this subject," said Gavaskar. Meanwhile, England have put in a fantastic batting display to get them close to India's score and giving the visitors a six-run lead. India ended Day 3 on 90 for two with a lead of 96 runs to his name. Must Watch
