London: Sunil Gavaskar, who had criticised the wicketkeeper batsman for his premature dismissal in Australia last year, praised Rishabh Pant for his 134-run, blistering innings against England at Headingley.
During the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Melbourne, Pant met an ill-advised scoop shot off Scott Boland to give away a soft dismissal, whereupon Gavaskar raged on air, saying, Stupid, stupid, stupid! You will take that on with two fielders there? You have wasted your wicket!” The expletive expressed Pant’s frustration at his inability to read the game situation.
In the first Test against England, Pant scored his seventh Test century off 186 balls, hitting 12 fours and six sixes while demonstrating a mix of aggression and control. During a commentary on Sony Sports, Gavaskar exclaimed, “Awesome, awesome, awesome!” Reich praised the remarkable performance of the younger generation as Rishabh Pant hit a six against Shoaib Bashir to reach his century. The criticism he faced in the past was dwarfed by his front-flip celebration in the innings.
With his seventh century, Pant surpassed MS Dhoni’s record of six Test centuries, making it the most by an Indian wicketkeeper. He also surpassed MS Dhoni’s record of 78 sixes in Tests, increasing his total to 79. Pant has already scored 2,548 runs in 37 Tests, including a whopping 1,125 runs at an average of 56.75 in the four-year period so far, to earn the sobriquet of game-changer. Wriddhiman Saha and Syed Kirmani each recorded two centuries, while Farokh Engineer recorded three.
Pant can change gears like no one. This is his knock, which proves that he is mature,” said cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, who admired his balance between flair and caution. Social media was buzzing with fans celebrating Pant’s redemption, although some still remembered Gavaskar’s earlier criticism, which many considered too harsh.
Pant’s record-breaking performance strengthens India’s position in the test series and highlights his development as a key player, as his panache redefines the role of wicketkeeper-batter in Indian cricket history.