Rishabh Pant’s Handspring Celebration After Century Reflects His Incredible Journey

When Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant completed his century against England in the Leeds Test, he caught everyone’s attention when he jumped up and did a somersault on the field.

For all those who have keenly watched his career, that small leap was not just an ordinary celebration. It brought back memories of his brush with death not too long ago.

Rishabh Pant raises his bat in triumph after scoring a brilliant 134 at Leeds (Photos: IANS)

On 30 December 2022, Pant was travelling from Delhi to Roorkee when his car met with a major accident. The car hit a divider, flipped over, and caught fire. Two men, Rajat and Nishu Kumar, saw the accident and rushed to help. They pulled Pant out of the car just in time before it went up in flames.

Pant had serious injuries. He tore a ligament in his right knee. He also got hurt on his ankle, wrist, toe, and had cuts on his back. First, he was taken to a hospital in Dehradun. Later, he was shifted to Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai. There, he had several surgeries to fix his knee and ankle.

Doctors said he would take six to twelve months to recover. Everyone knew he would miss IPL 2023 and possibly the ODI World Cup too.

Even in pain, Pant stayed strong. He shared updates with his fans on Twitter. In January 2023, he said his surgery was successful and that he was ready to face whatever was ahead.

He thanked the BCCI, doctors, fans, and the government. He also thanked the two men who saved his life. He said he would always be grateful to them.

During his recovery, Pant began hydrotherapy. In March 2023, he posted a video of himself walking slowly in a swimming pool. He said he felt thankful for every small step. In May, he shared another video. It was his “No More Crutches” day. He was walking freely and climbing stairs. It showed he was getting better.

Pant pulls off a trademark handspring during an IPL match, a celebration made more special after his recovery from a near-fatal accident.

Though he missed IPL 2023 and the World Cup, Pant worked hard in the background. In March 2024, he made a dramatic comeback, captaining Delhi Capitals in the IPL. That he was completely fit was evident to everyone when they saw him keeping wickets in his first match, where he also scored 10 runs.

There was now going to be no turning back. He was selected for the Indian team for the T20 World Cup. In the match against Ireland, he top-scored with an unbeaten 36, showing flashes of the old Pant who could take on any bowling attack.

On Saturday, Pant hit an astonishing 134 and now holds the record for most Test hundreds as a wicketkeeper for India, going past the legendary MS Dhoni's tally of six centuries. It was also Pant’s third Test hundred in England – which is a mammoth feat no other visiting wicketkeeper has more than one Test century in the country.

Pant said he initially considered three celebrations but ultimately chose a familiar one – the front handspring.

“I had three celebrations in mind – of an OK sign on the eye (which footballer Dele Alli does), another was ‘let bat do the talking’. Then I thought, I will quietly do the one I know well. I have been doing it from my childhood (handspring).”

“I trained in gymnastics in school. I am very used to it since childhood. Even if you wake up me up in the middle of the night, I can do this. After the accident, I had to work harder for doing this. I worked on it and it’s now easy for me to do it,” said Pant in a chat with veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of day three’s play.

He also revealed what was going through his mind when he was on the verge of getting the century, which he got with a one-handed six off Bashir over mid-wicket. “When (Shoaib) Bashir was bowling in the previous over, I thought I should get to the hundred. I didn’t want to play percentage cricket and take a risk. He was bowling well, so I respected it and took a single.”

“In the next over when he came, I told him before ‘if you keep the field close-in, I will hit the big shot’. Luckily, I was batting on 99 and I was confident. The pressure was there, but I wanted to play on the merit of the ball.”

Pant had come on the back of an indifferent IPL 2025 for Lucknow Super Giants, though he did sign off with a century against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He spoke about the changes he made to his game for excelling in the Test series opener.

“In my mind, I wanted to cut down on a few shots (in preparation for Tests after IPL). I wanted to play in the V. If you have seen it, I haven't played a lot of shots to balls that were bowled wide. I wanted to play straight and rest of it would be seen after. In my mind, the thought process is always to try read the bowler’s thinking – like what is he trying to do.”

“Once an idea is made, the thought from me is to put the bowler under pressure as I can hit him out. So playing with the bowler’s mindset and trying to disturb him is important, as if you allow the bowler to hit the right areas, so he’s always on the top. So playing with that, and then coming back to your zone – this balancing act is just getting more refined – and I am enjoying this a lot.”

Pant’s journey is a story of grit, discipline, and an unbreakable spirit

Quizzed over his solid defensive game, Pant said, “Mostly it’s about the area – if the ball is in a good area, I try not to do too much. Like if a bowler is in a good spell or is working on a set-up, its fine. But when the bowler is not in rhythm, then I try to capitalise on it towards my side. When a bowler is bowling well, I try to defend well against him or leave, as that’s the mindset.”

Six month ago, legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar had called Pant "stupid, stupid, stupid" over a shocking manner of his dismissal in the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last year. But on Pant hitting a century, Gavaskar flipped the script by calling it "superb, superb, superb".

“It feels so good. I have worked on my weaknesses, and tried to recover from setbacks so that you can make a good comeback. I changed some of my mistakes through my hardwork and focus, as well as being disciplined towards my cricket. It gives me a lot of satisfaction and feels very exciting,” concluded Pant. – TWL Bureau with IANS