India legend Sunil Gavaskar could not hold back his joy after Rishabh Pant scored a stunning century in the second innings of the first Test against England at Headingley. Speaking on the Sony Sports Network, Gavaskar shared a humorous anecdote about how he almost tried to replicate the young wicketkeeper’s somersault celebration.
Pant became the first Indian to score twin centuries in England. He is now only the second wicket-keeper to hit two centuries in a single Test match.
As soon as he brought up the milestone, all eyes turned to see whether he would repeat the celebratory somersault he had pulled off in the first innings. Even Gavaskar gestured him to do so. Instead, he pointed in Gavaskar’s direction and gestured with his hand, a light signal that seemed to say, "Next time."
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Also read: ENG vs IND: Rishabh Pant’s Twin Hundreds in Headingley Test Trigger Avalanche of Test Records
Sunil Gavaskar on Emulating Rishabh Pant’s Celebration
As the broadcasters discussed Rishabh Pant’s historic feat, Gavaskar began by reflecting on how fulfilling it was to see an Indian player succeed, especially someone who had come through such adversity.
"Very, very happy. I mean, anytime an Indian does well, you feel very happy because you know the passion for cricket in India, how just about every, in every family, I'm sure there is at least one person who, it might not be everybody, at least one person who follows the game," Gavaskar said as quoted on Sony Sports Network.
"And therefore to make that family happy, if you can do well, if India does well, then naturally it is, it's a great feeling. And so to see this young kid, come back, I mean, look what had happened to him with all those, with that crash," he added.
When Michael Vaughan, on air, joked about being disappointed that Pant did not attempt a backflip, Gavaskar jumped in with his own interpretation of the gesture:
"No, this is, I think that's basically, thanking the gods above. He had something in his eye. He kind of put us on the signal."
And in typical Gavaskar fashion, he followed it up with a light-hearted revelation:
"You know what, I've got to confess that after that, I came here, and I tried not to do the backflip, no chance of, at my age, but I used to do the backstand, and I was looking to do the backstand. So if I could do it successfully then, then I would have shown it here, but I wasn't able to."
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All to Play for on Final Day at Headingley
India, under Shubman Gill’s captaincy, surged ahead on the back of second-innings hundreds from KL Rahul and Pant, setting England a tough target of 371.
In response, England openers survived six testing overs before stumps and reached 21 without loss. With a big chase ahead, it is almost even stevens heading into the final day at Headingley with both teams still very much in it.
