Six months ago, Sunil Gavaskar made headlines for his scathing on-air criticism of Rishabh Pant’s reckless shot during the Boxing Day Test against Australia. The former India captain didn’t mince words, calling Pant’s dismissal a result of a “stupid” shot, accusing him of letting the team down with poor judgment at a critical moment.
But in a beautiful twist of narrative, Gavaskar was full of praise for Pant on Friday (June 21), as the flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter celebrated a magnificent century in the ongoing first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. This time, Gavaskar’s “S-word” was one of admiration.
“Superb, superb, superb,” exclaimed Gavaskar from the commentary box as Pant brought up his eighth Test century with a celebratory somersault. The transformation from being called “stupid” to “superb” in a span of six months perfectly summed up Pant’s redemption arc.
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In that earlier match, Pant had scored 28 off 36 with India five down for 191. But his ill-timed scoop off Scott Boland found the fielder at deep third man, prompting Gavaskar to lash out: “That is not your natural game, that is a stupid shot. You are letting your team down badly.” India eventually lost that Test by 184 runs.
Another 𝐒 word from Sunny G…𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐁!🫡#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/w1SF4t7KRz
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 21, 2025
Fast forward to Leeds, and Pant was a picture of composure and control. His 134 off 178 balls, studded with 12 boundaries and six sixes, was a counter-punching masterclass. With that knock, Pant not only helped India dominate the day but also went past MS Dhoni’s tally for most Test centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper.
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Pant became the third Indian centurion in the match, joining Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) and Shubman Gill (147), marking what could be a defining moment in his career — one that even Gavaskar couldn’t help but applaud.
