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Six months ago, the words “Stupid, stupid, stupid” echoed through Indian cricket commentary as Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at Rishabh Pant for his reckless shot in a crunch moment — a failed scoop against Scott Boland that led to a soft dismissal.LIVE: India vs England 1st Test Day 2But on Saturday at Headingley, in the same breath where Pant once drew scorn, he earned admiration. The left-hander brought up his seventh Test century in style, launching Shoaib Bashir over long-on for six — and this time, it was Gavaskar on air again, exclaiming: “Superb, superb, superb!”Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!It was a moment of poetic redemption. Pant, who had walked a tightrope of discipline and flair all innings, reached his ton with typical audacity — followed by his trademark front-flip celebration, now becoming a signature of his resurgence.
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Has Rishabh Pant proven his critics wrong with his recent performance?
Gavaskar, who had once brutally criticised Pant’s impulsive nature, offered a far more nuanced assessment this time. Speaking on Sony Sports at the end of Day 1, the former India captain said: “He’s been measured in his approach, giving himself time out in the middle. But once he’s in and the bowlers start to tire, that’s when he begins to step down the pitch and really attack.”Gavaskar acknowledged Pant’s evolution — from being brash to being brilliantly balanced: “Because he gives himself that time early on, it becomes easier for him to play those aggressive strokes later. When he defends, it’s like he has all the time in the world. He’s got enormous talent — I’ve seen his centuries in South Africa and Australia, and this one is right up there.”Pant’s ton, part of a 200-plus partnership with captain Shubman Gill, helped India take complete control of the first Test — and turned a past critique into a present-day standing ovation.
