‘Superb, superb, superb': Sunil Gavaskar lauds Rishabh Pant's century vs England, months after ‘stupid, stupid, stupid' tirade against him in Australia

A few months after Sunil Gavaskar slammed Rishabh Pant on air during the Border Gavaskar series shouting 'stupid, stupid, stupid' after the wicketkeeper-batter threw away his wicket against Australia, the Indian legend lauded Pant with shouts of 'superb, superb, superb' when he smashed his 7th Test century against England at Leeds on Saturday.
Pant had been at the receiving end of Gavaskar's anger during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 when, in the fourth Test of the series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), he went to attack a delivery, miscued his shot and gave a catch to third man. The dismissal angered the legendary India cricketer who was in the commentary booth, shouting 'stupid, stupid, stupid!'.
On Saturday, a visibly enthusiastic Gavaskar on commentary said, 'Yes, superb, superb, superb. Absolutely terrific batting by the young man.'
Another 𝐒 word from Sunny G…𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐁!🫡#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/w1SF4t7KRz
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 21, 2025
Pant on Saturday went past MS Dhoni for the most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper in Test cricket, bringing up his seventh on the second day of the series opener against England.
Pant struck a six off the first ball of the 100th over of India's first innings, clearing the fence off Shoaib Bashir to bring up the milestone. It was his first century since September 2024 when he scored 109 against Bangladesh.
In 90 Tests, Dhoni had scored 4,876 runs with six tons and 33 fifties at an average of 38.09 and remains the highest run-scorer as an Indian wicketkeeper-batter in Tests.
Pant, who completed 3,000 runs during this innings of 134 off 178 balls (12×4; 6×6), also has 15 fifties in 44 Tests and averages nearly 44.
The third in this list is Wriddhiman Saha with two centuries, followed by Syed Kirmani and Farokh Engineer with two each. Nayan Mongia has also scored one century.
India ultimately were bowled out by England on 471 runs as Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue took 4 wickets apiece.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

First Post

25 minutes ago

• First Post

Bumrah roars, Pant dazzles, but Pope keeps England in the fight as they reach 209/3 on Day 2

Rishabh Pant's century and Jasprit Bumrah's fiery spell lit up Day 2 of the 1st Test at Headingley. Ollie Pope countered with an unbeaten ton as England reached 209/3 in reply to India's 471. read more Leeds: Jasprit Bumrah displayed his spine-tingling genius after Rishabh Pant unfurled an audacious hundred, but England batters led by centurion Ollie Pope produced their own parade to reach 209 for three at the end of the second day of the first Test here Saturday. Pope (100 batting) and Harry Brook (0) were at crease when the stumps were drawn with England whittling down India's lead to 262 after the visitors made 471 in their first innings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Brook would certainly thank his stars as a pull off Bumrah, which was caught by Mohammed Siraj, was adjudged no-ball in the last over of the day. It was a sliver of example how the Indian pacer tormented the hosts batters. England did not quite solve the Bumrah puzzle but they showed enough spunk to bat through the storm. Pope can be a lovely batter to watch in full flow, but here the Surrey man sussed up the conditions and the general quality of the attack to a nicety to tweak his batting. Once he survived a massive shout for leg-before perpetuated by Mohammed Siraj, relying mainly on his bottom hand to collect runs with cuts and dabs through point, gully regions. Pope came to the middle when Bumrah was bowling in a charged atmosphere after he consumed opener Zak Crawley in the first over itself with a peach in a wonderful exhibition of fast bowling. Crawley never looked settled, producing edges in his first three balls, and the fourth one proved lethal. The delivery took the outside edge of the right-hander's bat, grazed on his thigh pad and eventually nestled in Karun Nair's hands at first slip. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pope's partner Ben Duckett (62 off 94 balls), with whom he added 122 runs for the second wicket, had big slices of fortunes too. He was dropped on 15 by Ravindra Jadeja at backward point off Bumrah, but the England batters were good enough to put those thorny moments behind them to cash in on the profligacy of Bumrah's colleagues in the pace department. Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, a hard length bowler, were eager to discover the mandatory fuller length England, but they overreached in their effort, often giving ample space and width for batters to make some risk-free runs. Just as the alliance was swelling, Bumrah, who was used in short, sharp bursts, returned for his third spell, and induced an inside edge off Duckett to halt England's free walk. It was also slightly perplexing to see India skipper Shubhman Gill delaying the introduction of Shardul Thakur into the attack, which eventually happened in the 34th over. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It did not give any noticeable lift to India's bowling unit, and it also watched in dejection the leg-before decision against Joe Root off Siraj was getting overturned via DRS. But that did not deter Pope as he reached 9th Test hundred with a cheeky single off Bumrah as sun-washed Headingley greeted the fourth hundred-maker in two days. However, that irresistible force of nature Bumrah returned at the right time to nick off Root to end a threatening 80-run stand for the third wicket. But before Bumrah made an instant impression, another Indian player thrilled the Leeds crowd. Pant's seventh Test hundred was soaked in brilliance and impudence. Once India resumed from overnight 359 for three, they needed Pant and Gill to carry on from last day's point. They showed intent too as the Indian captain motored onto 147, his highest score in Tests, and milked 209 runs for the fourth wicket with his deputy. Pant was at his entertaining best, starting his cavalier ways with a stunning falling paddle off spinner Bashir behind stumper Jamie Smith, a la West Indian legend Rohan Kanhai. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A six over mid-wicket off spinner Shoaib Bashir carried him to 94, and the 90s is a rather troubled territory for Pant as he was dismissed seven times in Tests on that score in his career. So, it was not really surprising to see him taking singles until he reached 99. Pant then decided not to waste too much time, and summoned that one-handed six off Bashir to go past the 100-run mark for the seventh time in his career, and the 27-year-celebrated the occasion with a perfect somersault. It was also a moment of redemption for Pant as Gavaskar had slammed his shot selection during the tour to Australia with the stinging remark 'stupid, stupid, stupid.' But on this day, the legendary batter atoned for it with the exclamation of 'superb, superb, superb!' on air. However, the dismissals of Pant and Gill gave England the opening and they crashed through, taking seven Indian wickets for 41 runs across two sessions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Time of India

29 minutes ago

• Time of India

England defy Bumrah, Pant magic through Pope's hundred to reach 209/3 on Day 2

Leeds: Jasprit Bumrah displayed his spine-tingling genius after Rishabh Pant unfurled an audacious hundred, but England batters, led by centurion Ollie Pope , produced their own parade to reach 209 for three at the end of the second day of the first Test here Saturday. Pope (100 batting) and Harry Brook (0) were at crease when the stumps were drawn with England whittling down India's lead to 262 after the visitors made 471 in their first innings. Brook would certainly thank his stars as a pull off Bumrah, which was caught by Mohammed Siraj , was adjudged no-ball in the last over of the day. It was a sliver of example how the Indian pacer tormented the hosts' batters. England did not quite solve the Bumrah puzzle but they showed enough spunk to bat through the storm. Live Events Pope can be a lovely batter to watch in full flow, but here the Surrey man sussed up the conditions and the general quality of the attack to a nicety to tweak his batting. Once he survived a massive shout for leg-before perpetuated by Mohammed Siraj, relying mainly on his bottom hand to collect runs with cuts and dabs through point, gully regions. Pope came to the middle when Bumrah was bowling in a charged atmosphere after he consumed opener Zak Crawley (4) in the first over itself with a peach in a wonderful exhibition of fast bowling. Crawley never looked settled, producing edges in his first three balls, and the fourth one proved lethal. The delivery took the outside edge of the right-hander's bat, grazed on his thigh pad and eventually nestled in Karun Nair's hands at first slip. Pope's partner Ben Duckett (62 off 94 balls), with whom he added 122 runs for the second wicket, had big slices of fortunes too. He was dropped on 15 by Ravindra Jadeja at backward point off Bumrah, but the England batters were good enough to put those thorny moments behind them to cash in on the profligacy of Bumrah's colleagues in the pace department. Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, a hard length bowler, were eager to discover the mandatory fuller length in England, but they overreached in their effort, often giving ample space and width for batters to make some risk-free runs. Just as the alliance was swelling, Bumrah, who was used in short, sharp bursts, returned for his third spell, and he induced an inside edge off Duckett to halt England's free walk. It was also slightly perplexing to see India skipper Shubhman Gill delaying the introduction of Shardul Thakur into the attack, which eventually happened in the 34th over. The move did not give any noticeable lift to India's bowling unit, and the visitors also watched in dejection of the leg-before decision against Joe Root off Siraj overturned via DRS. But that did not deter Pope as he reached his ninth Test hundred with a cheeky single off Bumrah as sun-washed Headingley greeted the fourth hundred-maker in two days. However, Bumrah returned at the right time to nick off Root to end a threatening 80-run stand for the third wicket. But before Bumrah made an instant impression, another Indian player thrilled the Leeds crowd as Pant's seventh Test hundred was soaked in brilliance and impudence. Once India resumed from overnight 359 for three, they needed Pant and Gill to carry on from previous day's point. They showed intent too as the Indian captain motored onto 147, his highest score in Tests, and milked 209 runs for the fourth wicket with his deputy. Pant was at his entertaining best, starting his cavalier ways with a stunning falling paddle off spinner Bashir behind stumper Jamie Smith, a la West Indian legend Rohan Kanhai. A six over mid-wicket off spinner Shoaib Bashir carried him to 94, and the 90s is a rather troubled territory for Pant as he was dismissed seven times in Tests on that score in his career. So, it was not really surprising to see him taking singles until he reached 99. Pant then decided not to waste too much time, and summoned that one-handed six off Bashir to go past the 100-run mark for the seventh time in his career, and the 27-year-celebrated the occasion with a perfect somersault. It was also a moment of redemption for Pant as Gavaskar had slammed his shot selection during the tour to Australia with the stinging remark "stupid, stupid, stupid." But on this day, the legendary batter atoned for it with the exclamation of "superb, superb, superb!" on air. However, the dismissals of Pant and Gill gave England the opening and they crashed through, taking seven Indian wickets for 112 runs across two sessions.

Time of India

39 minutes ago

• Time of India

IND vs ENG: Drama at Headingley! Jasprit Bumrah denied wicket by shocking no-ball call

Jasprit Bumrah (Getty Images) NEW DELHI: It was a day when no Indian bowler toiled as relentlessly as Jasprit Bumrah . England, replying to India's formidable first-innings total of 471, ended Day 2 at 209/3 — all three wickets belonging to Bumrah. As always, when India needed a breakthrough, they turned to their premier pacer, and Bumrah delivered. Bumrah consistently created opportunities, but India failed to capitalise. Ben Duckett was dropped twice early in his innings and made the visitors pay with a fluent 62, before Bumrah finally uprooted his stumps in his second spell. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Ollie Pope, a nervy starter, survived the early phase and cashed in once the ball softened and the pitch eased out. He went on to score a century. Bumrah returned late in the day to induce a false shot from Joe Root and then seemingly dismissed Harry Brook — only to be denied by a heartbreaking no-ball call. That drama unfolded in the final over of the day. Bumrah, searching for his fourth wicket, bowled a short delivery wide outside off. Brook attempted a pull, mistimed it horribly, and Mohammed Siraj sprinted in from short mid-wicket to complete a fantastic diving catch. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Best Life Starts Today Maximus Learn More Undo India celebrated, ready to walk off with the momentum — until third umpire intervention revealed Bumrah had overstepped. It was his third no-ball of the over. Brook survived and Bumrah walked back frustrated. MLC 2025: Faf du Plessis on why cricket's American dream is just getting started Earlier, India were dismissed for 471 after being 430/3 at one stage. Shubman Gill (147), Rishabh Pant (134), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) headlined the innings with outstanding centuries. Gill and Pant's 209-run partnership followed a 91-run opening stand between Jaiswal and KL Rahul (42). Despite the commanding start, India collapsed in the second session, losing seven wickets for just 112 runs. Ben Stokes (4/66) and Josh Tongue (4/86) led England's fightback with the ball. Follow all the live updates, scores, and highlights from the India vs England Test match here . Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here