Ravichandran Ashwin: Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has urged Rishabh Pant to refrain from performing the somersault celebration. The 39-year-old said that a cricketer’s body was prone to getting more tired while playing Test cricket as compared to the IPL, where a batter may not play more than 50-60 deliveries.
Ravichandran Ashwin: The 27-year-old performed the somersault after getting to his hundred on Day 2 of the first Test against England at Leeds on Saturday, June 21.
“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 (via Indian Express).
Ravichandran Ashwin: After getting to another ton in the second innings, former India opener Sunil Gavaskar was seen gesturing to Pant to do the somersault. The southpaw, however, seemed to indicate that he would celebrate in that manner the next time he got to the landmark.
Ravichandran Ashwin: Rishabh Pant reveals he trained in gymnastics while in school after backflip celebration
Pant revealed that he had three celebrations in mind after getting to his hundred, but opted for the somersault as he had been performing the move since childhood due to an exposure to gymnastics in 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. 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,” Pant said.
The 27-year-old opted for a different celebration when he got to his hundred in the second innings of the match on Monday, June 23.
