"He Never Took...": Sunil Gavaskar Reveals Rishabh Pant's Reaction After 'Stupid, Stupid' Rant In Australia
From 'stupid, stupid, stupid' to 'superb, superb, superb' - Rishabh Pant, with his electrifying show for India vs England in the 1st innings of the first Test at Headingley, forced Sunil Gavaskar to utter the latter. During the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy, after Pant had fallen to a rash shot at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Gavaskar could not control his anger and had uttered: 'stupid, stupid, stupid.' That reaction was widely coevered. But on Saturday, after Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter to slam seven Test tons, Gavaskar was impressed and evenr said: "Superb, superb, superb."
He also went on to talk about Pant's reaction after he had made the 'stupid' rant. "He never took offence. I know him from a very young age. He is always eager to learn," Gavaskar said on air.
Another word from Sunny G...! #SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/w1SF4t7KRz
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 21, 2025
Also, former India head coach Ravi Shastri shared his thoughts on Rishabh Pant's entertaining knock of 134 on the second morning of the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley, adding that the 'outrageous' wicketkeeper-batter is someone who knows how he wants to play.
Resuming from 65 not out, Pant went on to hit his seventh Test century and go past former India captain M.S. Dhoni (six) for the most Test centuries hit by an Indian wicketkeeper. The flamboyant Pant's third Test hundred in England, laced with magnificence and madness in stroke-play in equal measure, is a feat no other visiting keeper has achieved before.
"What do you say about Pant?! I used the word outrageous yesterday, and nothing has changed. He plays the numbers game beautifully and plays the way he wants. He will block for a bit and then decides he has to go after the bowler and shift gears."
"He has his own computer and only he knows how it works. That's his USP. That's what puts bowlers under pressure and makes him box office, a real entertainer and a match winner," said Shastri on Sky Sports' broadcast during lunch break.
Pant got to the three-figure mark off 146 balls by dancing down the pitch and heaving Shoaib Bashir for a one-handed six over midwicket. Amidst applause from the crowd, Pant celebrated reaching the century with his signature somersault, a skill he picked up from undergoing gymnastics practice in his growing-up years.
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