Leeds, Jun 22 (PTI) Swashbuckling India batter Rishabh Pant’s perfect somersault after smashing a breathtaking century in the first Test against England has caught the fancy of his legion of fans, while former players felt the acrobatic act that has since gone viral was a statement of his “unique” ways.
Pant hit an entertaining 178-ball 134, his seventh Test ton, as India amassed 471 against England under new skipper Shubman Gill on Day 2 of the opening Test here on Saturday.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said Pant probably had been doing gymnastics from a very young age.
“Nothing wrong in that. That’s him. Let him be. You know, he’s different. At a very young age, he did a lot of gymnastics,” said the cricketer-turned-commentator.
“Even if I might have tried it, I think I might have… (but) it would have been to go into the pool,” Shastri joked in a video posted by BCCI.
Pant was involved in a horrific car accident in 2022, which left him grievously injured and his return to professional cricket is one of the most heartwarming stories in sport. To perform a somersault like that after undergoing several surgeries is indeed awe-inspiring.
“Rishabh being Rishabh, he does something unique. He does it really well. I think it was unique. No one expected him to do that. I’ve never tried it. I’ll need a lot of practice because that is something if you haven’t tried, you can’t do it,” said India batter Cheteshwar Pujara.
Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik said he was in awe of Pant, as the wicketkeeper-batter was made of a different stuff.
“Neither could I do the somersault like him, nor can I bat like him. I think on both fronts (keeping and batting) he has exceeded expectations. It’s quite an effort to do that, actually. And he does it consistently,” said Karthik, himself a wicketkeeper-batter.
“When I was very young, my parents did make me participate in gymnastics and I did try and I was an utter failure at that. So, let’s just leave it there because he (Pant) is doing it so much nicer when he celebrates it,” added Karthik.
“I think I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. With pads on as well. Amazing,” said an English fan.
