“Feeling Toh…” – Rishabh Pant Responds After Sunil Gavaskar’s ‘Stupid’ Turns To ‘Superb’ Praise

By
Unnati Madan
Unnati is a passionate cricket writer with a deep love and understanding of the game. As a female cricket writer, she brings a unique perspective to...
4 Min Read

Rishabh Pant has finally found his form again after struggling with the bat for some time. He did well during the Test series in Australia but couldn’t make much of an impact in the IPL 2025 season, except for a brilliant century in the final game. Now in England, Pant has continued his good batting.

From Stupid, Stupid to Superb Superb – Rishabh Pant has come a long way!

In the first Test against England at Leeds, he scored an impressive 134 runs from 178 balls, smashing 12 fours and six sixes during his innings.

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Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was highly impressed with Rishabh Pant’s innings and praised him, saying, “Superb, superb, superb. Absolutely terrific by the young man,” as Pant reached his century.

Interestingly, just six months ago, Gavaskar had criticised Pant live on air for playing a reckless shot and throwing away his wicket during India’s Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

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“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! You’ve got two fielder there and you still go for that. You’ve missed the previous shot and look where you’ve been caught. You’ve caught at deep third man. That is throwing away your wicket. Not in the situation that India was. You have to understand the situation as well. You cannot say that is your natural game. I am sorry that is not your natural game. That is a stupid shot,” Gavaskar had said.

With Gavaskar now full of praise for Pant, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara playfully asked Rishabh Pant how it felt to have the “stupid, stupid, stupid” comment turned into “Superb, superb, superb”. Responding to Pujara, Rishabh Pant said:

“Feeling toh wohi hai jo aapko hai iss samay. (I have the same feelings as you)”.

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He added: “It feels really good that I have been able to work on my shortcomings and convert the setbacks into comebacks. That was always my thought process. I felt that I wasn’t up to the mark on a certain aspect but luckily I was able to change it. By working hard, focussing well and adding a layer of discipline to my game. So that’s been exciting for me,” said Pant on Sony Sports.

Rishabh Pant played a sensational knock on Saturday

Rishabh Pant was in fine form on Saturday, playing an aggressive knock while other Indian batters struggled against England’s pacers before lunch. With wickets falling around him, Pant tried to curb his attacking instincts but made a mistake and was dismissed by Josh Tongue at Leeds.

Before getting out, Rishabh Pant thrilled the Headingley crowd by smashing his seventh Test century with a big six. He also went past MS Dhoni’s record for most Test hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper and overtook Dhoni’s Test sixes tally, reaching 79 to become third on India’s all-time list.

Rishabh Pant was trapped lbw for 134 by a sharp delivery that hit his front pad. India collapsed from 453 for 5 to 471 all out quickly, while England finished Day 2 strongly at 209 for 3.

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Unnati is a passionate cricket writer with a deep love and understanding of the game. As a female cricket writer, she brings a unique perspective to the sport, having had to overcome various challenges to pursue her passion for cricket. Growing up, Unnati developed a love for cricket by watching matches with her family. She was always fascinated by the way the game was played, and would often spend hours reading about cricket, analyzing matches, and learning more about the sport. However, as a female in a male-dominated industry, she faced numerous obstacles to pursue her passion for cricket writing. Despite this, Unnati persevered and became an accomplished writer in the field. Unnati’s writing style is engaging and insightful, with a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of the nuances of the game. Her articles are known for their depth of analysis, and she is often sought after for her strong opinions on the sport. Unnati has a unique ability to break down complex ideas and make them accessible to a wide audience, which has helped her build a large following of readers.