Rishabh Pant historic celebration after twin tons in Headingley; Sunil Gavaskar shares a candid moment

Rishabh Pant is truly a box office on the cricket field. His recent somersault celebrations, first seen during his century in IPL 2025 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, have already become a rage. 

So, when he became the first Indian wicket-keeper batter and the second gloveman after Andy Flower to achieve the feat of twin tons in a Test, you thought another one would be on its way. Instead, Pant threw up a more subtle one, thanking the skies, and then went on to do a different celebration by covering his right eye. The official broadcaster's cameras also panned to Sunil Gavaskar, who was seen having a fun-filled exchange of eye contact with Pant on the field. 

For those unversed, the Pant-Gavaskar bond had a twist to it, as seen in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in 2024-25. During one of the Tests, Pant's dismissal to a rash stroke had Gavaskar fuming and the batting maestro on one of Australia's broadcasting channels called the dismissal 'stupid', going further to rant 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!'. It became overnight news and received mixed reactions from people worldwide. The duo subsequently featured in a MakeMyTrip ad that shared the same context of 'stupid' with a light-hearted undertone.

Pant's gesture towards Gavaskar at Headingley wasn't an animated one, but subtle enough to state that he had proved his point even if he didn't need to. Regardless of his methods at the crease, Pant has arguably been India's most impactful batter over the last five years, but with the team undergoing a transition, it was vital for him to step up a few notches. And step up he surely did. Like a true professional, Gavaskar appreciated the brilliance of the player and egged him to do his signature somersault celebration.

However, given that he had a century in the first innings and then kept going for 100 overs as well, the body may not have been in the best shape for a somersault with his second-innings century. Pant gestured back to Gavaskar that the somersault celebration would return soon, and the to-and-fro gestures were hilariously entertaining. 

Since his return to international cricket after the life-threatening accident, Pant has been inconsistent with the bat, particularly in the shorter formats. Test cricket is where he truly thrives, and this performance at Headingley might just be the tonic for him to shift his game to another level across all formats.

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