Whenever Rishabh Pant puts on a show, it is a spectacle. And he showed his wizardry not one but two times in the recently concluded Leeds Test match between England and India. The maverick wicket-keeper bludgeoned twin hundreds in the match, putting his name among some of the all-time greats. But what fascinated many was what followed his first-innings hundred – a somersault.
But why didn’t he repeat the athletic manoeuvre the second time he hammered a century? In the second innings for India, Pant was involved in a superb 195-run partnership with KL Rahul, and both batters smashed hundreds. However, what was missing this time was his now-famous somersault. Even the great Sunil Gavaskar tried his best to convince, but the southpaw denied the request.
Gambhir behind Pant’s muted celebration?
But why did Pant refrain from doing his celebration? Well, according to CricBlogger, Gautam Gambhir is the reason. The Indian head coach apparently asked Pant not to repeat somersaulting as a precautionary measure. “Someone from the team told him not to do the somersault; otherwise, he was ready with it,” the source said and added that it would have only been Gambhir who could do that. Who else?” stated the report.
Rishabh Pant performed the unique celebration for the first time after he made a remarkable hundred in Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) last league match of IPL 2025. He was having a horrible IPL 2025 campaign, scoring just 151 runs in 13 matches at an average of 13.72. But then, against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Pant wreaked havoc, smashing a 61-ball 118. He ended the run drought with the epic celebration.
Now, it would be fascinating to see how Rishabh Pant celebrates after scoring another ton in the ongoing England vs India Test series. We hope for many centuries to come.
