Ashwin, unlike Sunil Gavaskar, urges Rishabh Pant not to do ‘front flip' celebration: ‘He has nothing to prove'
Legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has urged Rishabh Pant not to do his trademark front flip celebration after scoring a century. The wicketkeeper batter scored twin centuries in the Leeds Test against England, while he celebrated his first innings ton with a somersault celebration to enthral fans at Headingley. However, in the second innings, despite demand from legendary Sunil Gavaskar from the stands, he didn't replicate the same celebration and went for another one. India's Rishabh Pant did a front flip celebration after scoring a century in first innings at Leeds.(AP)
However, Ashwin requested Pant avoid his now-famous front flips, especially in Tests. He said he has nothing to prove and is already a top batter in the lineup.
'I've only one request, please don't do that front flip. In Tests, your body gets tired unlike in IPL where you will not play more than 50-60 balls. He is a bona fide top batter in the Indian lineup. So he has nothing to prove,' Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. Also Read | Pathum Nissanka enters 'best all-format opener' debate after back-to-back Test tons, fans claim rivalry with Ben Duckett
He became the second wicketkeeper in cricket history to score centuries in both innings of a Test match after Andy Flower.
The wicketkeeper also pulled off a similar celebration after scoring a century for Lucknow Super Giants in their last match of IPL 2025.
Meanwhile, in the first innings against England in Leeds, Pant reached his century in trademark flair, smashing a lofted six off Shoaib Bashir while on 99. Stepping out to a flighted delivery, he dispatched it into the stands to bring up his ton. The celebration was just as dramatic—helmet off, bat and gloves dropped, followed by a dazzling front flip that left the Leeds crowd in awe. Also Read | KL Rahul's commitment to choosing 'country over his child' gets exuberant praise: 'He said, I want to go England early'
Speaking to former teammate Cheteshwar Pujara during the first Test, Pant opened up on his somersault celebration and revealed he was trained in gymnastics during school.
'I had three celebrations in mind. One of them was 'let the bat do the talking'. Then I thought, I'll stick with mine. I've been doing it since childhood (the somersault). I trained in gymnastics during school,' he said, while in conversation on Sony Sports.
'In school, I did gymnastics. I'm very used to it. Even if you wake me up in the middle of the night, I can do a somersault. After the accident, I had to work even harder at it. But I put in the work, and now it's easy for me again," he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
'How many dams will Jasprit Bumrah be able to construct?': R Ashwin tears into Mohammed Siraj
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj (AP Photo) NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has raised concerns over Mohammed Siraj 's performance in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds, urging the pacer to focus on controlling the flow of runs rather than solely aiming for wickets. Siraj endured a tough outing, conceding runs at an economy rate of 4.05 and taking just two wickets across both innings. On a surface that offered little assistance to bowlers, Siraj gave away 122 runs in 27 overs in the first innings while claiming two wickets. His struggles continued in the second innings, where he went wicketless in 14 overs and conceded 51 runs. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "My only question to Siraj is... can you dry up the run flow? You don't have to pick up wickets. But can you not give away 4-5 runs every over? If runs are being leaked, then you have to bring Bumrah back into the attack. How many dams will Bumrah be able to construct?" Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. Jasprit Bumrah stood out as India's best bowler in England's first innings, claiming a five-wicket haul. Prasidh Krishna also picked up three wickets but was expensive, conceding runs at an economy of 6.40. Spotted in Leeds! Indian Cricket Team Hits the Streets Ahead of 1st Test vs England "Also, he gets tired, and his spells are pushed, and by then, partnerships are forged. Or you'd have to go with Jadeja, who has to step in and stem the flow of runs. Prasidh is playing for the first time, and he is inexperienced. So Siraj has to play the bankable role. Remember how Morne Morkel used to bowl 2/43 in 20 overs? That should be his role. In Bazball, you could go for 2/58, I guess. Siraj has to play that role, and if he is effective in it, then it would make a huge difference," said Ashwin. The veteran spinner further emphasized that Test cricket is as much about support roles as it is about individual brilliance. Team India Reach Birmingham | Updates on Arrival & Schedule "I agree that wicket-taking is important in Test cricket. But in Test cricket, you also bowl for one another. Ishant Sharma used to do it wonderfully. He played the Morkel role very well. He would hold the pressure on one end, and would have given just 40-odd runs after an entire day's play. Of course, I am not asking Siraj to do the same, but regulate the leakage of runs," he added. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
The Hindu
26 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Review of On the Brink of Belief: Queer Writing from South Asia
One of the central lacunae in Indian queer writing is its sheer lack of rich regional voices. Not only does queer literature still remain largely Anglicised, but the parameters of its criticism are also dictated by Eurocentric notions, thereby gatekeeping local expressions and experiences. To then read On the Brink of Belief: Queer Writing from South Asia is in fact to engage in a suspension of disbelief, as 24 freshly minted writers, standing at the intersection of their marginalised identities, narrate their stories of love and loss, longing and belonging, and the liminal, chaotic spaces that exist in between. The idea for this anthology emerged after the successful conclusion of two editions of The Queer Writers' Room in 2023-2024, a joint initiative by The Queer Muslim Project and The International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Steered by Kazim Ali (also the editor of this anthology), among others, the week-long writing residency with two queer and trans writers each from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, has become a space for creative nurturing, quiet transformation, and critical interrogation. The stories in this collection remain obsessed with djinns, shaitans, and shakchunnis — the ethereal, metaphysical, and perhaps queer beings in Islamic mythography that linger between faith and fact. In her moving essay 'A Fever, a Djinn and the Collectibles of Grief,' Sara Haque draws parallels between herself and the 'rootless, bereaving djinn', after her dadi, 'shrunk and shrunk' till she vanished one fine day. In Ipsa's flash fiction 'On This Afternoon, Like Every Other', the female lover becomes a shakchunni (spirit of a married woman), and the act of lovemaking becomes the 'cloying honey of kolke phool, being sucked like a fish bone' — the very things that repulse human beings. This coalescence of the divine and the devil finds resonance in another short essay, 'Even Shaitan Showers' by Begum Taara Shakar, where the bathroom, a place of shame, transforms into a place of security. Later, the protagonist wonders: 'I always thought God was in love with Shaitan. Did no one notice that a whole world was created to prove Shaitan wrong?' Promising voices This contradiction, this uncertainty, this perpetual state of questioning, for me, is the central tenet of good writing. With queer writing, this rift between being and non-being is accentuated, as the real world offers no refuge. The beauty of queer writing, then, lies in its refusal to flatten difference and in its power to imagine radical, alternative futures. The anthology also reinforces the fact that queerness is not constrained to the choice of a partner, but extends to include political engagement, modes of kinship, and everyday resistances. The shifting world order, the metallic claws of capitalism, and the ghettoisation of communities remain overarching themes in stories such as 'Keithal da Eramkhi' by Mesak Takhelmayum, 'Silver' by Kahless Jaden Hameed and Tanisha Tekriwal's 'American Embassy, 2046', where the city is 'lit [not] by the moon but by oil refineries, their silver chimneys keeping the dark a half-dark'. While the anthology introduces some new, promising voices, it unfortunately delivers more misses than hits. 'Dog Days', 'Darling', 'The Beauty and Complexity of Being Queer and Muslim', 'Darjeeling and Desires', and 'Your Birthmark in My Memories' are among the many stories and poems that start on an interesting note but lose steam halfway through. Many of the stories could have been salvaged by skilful editing. These writers are trying hard to cut a new path. Time will tell where it leads them. The reviewer is the author of the Hindi short story collection 'Yeh Dil Hai Ki Chor Darwaja'.
Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's unbelievable craze in Sydney: India vs Australia ODI sold out 4 months before series
The buzz around India's white-ball tour of Australia is already hitting fever pitch, with tickets for the third ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) selling out a staggering four months before the first ball is bowled. Cricket Australia confirmed that all public ticket allocations for the marquee Sydney match and the opening T20I in Canberra have been completely exhausted, underscoring the magnetic appeal of this Indo-Australian rivalry, especially when led by two of the modern greats of the game. India's Rohit Sharma (L) and his teammate Virat Kohli (R) celebrate(AFP) At the heart of this unprecedented demand lies the enduring star power of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom have transitioned to playing only ODI cricket for India. The limited availability of seeing the two stalwarts together on the field has turned every match they play into a must-see event, and the Sydney ODI will be no exception. For fans, this ODI isn't just another match – it's a rare opportunity to watch Rohit and Kohli, two of India's finest, possibly for one of the last few times on Australian soil. With both players entering the twilight of their illustrious careers, each innings is now part nostalgia, part celebration, and wholly historic. Cricket Australia's Executive General Manager of Events & Operations, Joel Morrison, acknowledged this sentiment, saying, 'We are thrilled to see continued strong engagement amongst the Indian diaspora, driven in no small part by the anticipation of seeing legends like Rohit and Kohli in action. The Sydney ODI has all the ingredients of a blockbuster.' The overwhelming presence of Indian fans will add to the electric atmosphere. Fan clubs like Bharat Army and Fans India have already snapped up thousands of tickets, turning Australian venues into de facto home grounds for India. Community groups like Brissy Baniyas and the Indian Community of Gold Coast have also contributed to the ticketing frenzy, ensuring colourful crowds and a festive feel across all venues. The series kicks off on October 19 in Perth and wraps up with the final T20I in Brisbane on November 8. But it's Sydney – with its history, its packed stands, and its stage set for legends – that promises to deliver the emotional high point of the tour. With over 90,000 tickets already sold across the series, and every Rohit-Kohli appearance treated as a celebration of an era, this tour is shaping up to be more than just cricket – it's a farewell chapter in the story of two icons, unfolding in front of packed stadiums and adoring fans.
