Rishabh Pant’s second century of the match against England at Headingley on Monday brought not only applause but also a light-hearted gesture from Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar, who requested the wicketkeeper-batter to repeat his viral somersault celebration. Pant, who had celebrated his first-innings hundred with a somersault, raised his bat again in the second innings after reaching 118. However, instead of repeating the flip, he mimicked English footballer Dele Alli’s popular 2018 hand celebration.

Gavaskar, watching from the stands, was seen signaling toward Pant, requesting a repeat of the somersault. The gesture was caught on camera and drew laughter in the commentary box and from viewers across the world. In response, Pant smiled and indicated he might perform the celebration later in the series.

The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter was eventually dismissed for 118 in the 72nd over, caught at cow corner off Shoaib Bashir while looking to increase the scoring rate. His innings featured his characteristic aggression — including slog sweeps, paddles, and a few streaky boundaries.

The 27-year-old left-hander was eventually dismissed in the 72nd over, caught at cow corner off Shoaib Bashir while attempting to accelerate the scoring. His innings featured trademark flair, including paddle sweeps, slog shots, and streaky boundaries.

With his second century of the match, Pant became the first Indian batter to score hundreds in both innings of a Test in England. He also joined Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower as only the second designated wicketkeeper in Test history to achieve the rare feat. Flower had scored 142 and 199 not out against South Africa in Harare in 2001.

Pant is now the seventh Indian to record twin centuries in a Test, joining a group that includes Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar (three times), Rahul Dravid (twice), Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma.

The century was Pant’s fifth consecutive 50-plus score in Tests on English soil. Only Australia’s Steve Smith, with seven such scores, has a longer streak among visiting batters. Others on the list include Don Bradman, Hansie Cronje, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kumar Sangakkara, and Daryl Mitchell.