The cricket world is familiar with Rishabh Pant’s bravery and flamboyance with bat in-hand at Test level.
But the star keeper-batter showed off some shock, incredible acrobatics to celebrate a another stunning century as India continued its dominant start to its Test series against England.
Rishabh on Saturday became the third India batter to bring up a century during the first innings of the first Test, joining Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) and skipper Shubman Gill (147).
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And the left-hander brought up his seventh Test ton in style, advancing down the wicket and slogging England spinner Shoaib Bashir one-handed over cow corner for six.
“That is an extraordinary hundred. What a way to do it. This fella is box office,” Sky Sports commentator Ian Ward said.
“One of the great entertainers.”
But the six was only the entree to the moment’s main course.
Rishabh then dropped his bat, removed his helmet and gloves and channelled his inner gymnast, successfully performing an incredible handstand front flip that left on-lookers stunned
“One of the best hundred celebrations I have seen. He’s a character!” Ward said.
England quick Mark Wood added in commentary: “A celebration to match how he played.”
England, however, hit back with ball and bat on Saturday’s second day of the series opener at Headingley.
England was 3-209 in reply to India’s first-innings 471 at stumps, still a deficit of 262 runs, with vice-captain Ollie Pope exactly 100 not out after being dropped on 60.
But they had been 1-4 when Pope came to the crease after a superb Bumrah delivery had Zak Crawley caught by Karun Nair off just the sixth ball of the innings.
And after Surrey right-hander Pope reached his century, a gripping day of Test cricket ended with late drama involving two England batsmen on their Yorkshire home ground.
Joe Root fell to Bumrah for 28 when he carelessly steered him straight to first slip and, in the last over of the day, it looked as if the fast bowler had dismissed Harry Brook for a duck when the rising star top-edged a needlessly aggressive pull and was well caught by Mohammed Siraj at midwicket.
But the third umpire confirmed a no-ball to spare Brook’s blushes. Bumrah ended the day with 3-48 from 12 overs, having taken all the England wickets to fall so far in the first of this this five-Test series.
Arguably the world’s best all-format bowler, Bumrah could have had even better figures but for dropped catches with the usually reliable Ravindra Jadeja putting down Ben Duckett at backward point on 15.
Bumrah did dismiss the left-handed opener for 62 via an inside-edged a drive onto the stumps.
But he had another chance missed off his bowling when Pope, repeating the steer shot that had taken him to fifty off the first ball after tea, was put down by a diving Yashasvi Jaiswal in the cordon.
Pope went to 95 with a square-cut boundary off Shardul Thakur before an inside-edged single off Bumrah too him to a 125-ball century including 13 fours at an increasingly sun-drenched Headingley.
“He was just so calm coming out,” Duckett said at stumps.
“He probably couldn’t come out in tougher conditions, with Jasprit Bumrah running down the hill with the lights on. I don’t know what’s inside his head, but he’s just stayed true to the way he plays, and there’s no better feeling than that, scoring a hundred against that attack, coming out in the first over. You could see it in the way he celebrated, and it didn’t just mean a lot to him, it meant a huge amount in the dressing room as well. I had goosebumps for him.”
Earlier, a collapse either side of lunch saw India lose their last seven wickets for 41 runs inside 12 overs.
England captain Ben Stokes led from the front with an economical 4-66 in 20 overs, while fast bowler Josh Tongue wrapped up the innings on his way to 4-86.
India resumed on their overnight 3-359, with Gill 127 not out in his first innings since succeeding the retired Rohit Sharma as skipper, and Pant unbeaten on 65.
The pair were in complete command until Gill’s mistimed pick-up shot off Bashir flew straight to deep square leg as the 25-year-old skipper fell for 147, having faced 227 balls including 19 fours and one six.
Gill’s exit ended a partnership of 209 in 49 overs with Pant that had taken India to 4-430 and opened the door for a flurry of wickets to give England hope.
Pant, having played a succession of extraordinary strokes, was lbw offering no shot to Tongue before the paceman polished off the tail.
