Rishabh Pant delivered the perfect reply to legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar’s famous “superb, superb, superb” praise after smashing a brilliant century in India’s first innings of the opening Test against England at Headingley. The reaction came just months after Gavaskar had publicly criticized Pant for a reckless shot during the 2024-25 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, calling it “stupid, stupid, stupid” on live commentary.
In a candid chat with Cheteshwar Pujara for the BCCI, Pant reflected on his transformation from that forgettable moment in Australia to scoring his seventh Test century in style. Pujara cheekily asked him how it felt to hear Gavaskar’s praise switch from “stupid” to “superb,” prompting a heartfelt response from the southpaw.
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“The feeling is the same as what you’re feeling right now,” Rishabh Pant smiled. “It feels really good when you identify your weaknesses, work hard on them, and make a strong comeback. That was the mindset I carried. Overcoming those lapses took a lot of discipline, hard work, and focus. It was a very exciting phase for me.”
Pant’s reaction to Sunny G’s ‘𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙗, 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙗, 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙗’ comment 💬#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia
[England, India, Rishabh Pant] pic.twitter.com/eJKvsXek5a
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 22, 2025
Pant’s knock of 134 off 178 balls was laced with 12 boundaries and 6 sixes, and he was one of three Indian centurions in the innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal started the run-fest with a classy 101, followed by captain Shubman Gill’s composed 147. Their collective effort propelled India to a strong 471 in 113 overs, despite a late collapse.
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For England, Josh Tongue (4/86) and Ben Stokes (4/66) stood out with the ball and were instrumental in triggering India’s lower-order collapse, as the visitors slipped from 430/3 to 471 all out. Nonetheless, the highlight remained Pant’s redemption arc—turning past criticism into motivation and delivering a performance that even his fiercest critics couldn’t ignore.
