“Stupid” – Rishabh Pant Deleted WhatsApp, Went Silent After Criticism From Sunil Gavaskar

Rishabh Pant is currently enjoying one of the best phases of his Test career. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter smashed twin centuries, 134 and 118, during the first Test against England at Headingley.

He became just the second wicketkeeper in history to score hundreds in both innings of a Test match. However, the heroic performance couldn’t save India from defeat, as England chased down 371 to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

But Pant’s journey to redemption has been tough. A few months ago, he faced heavy criticism during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

In the Melbourne Test, Pant played a careless ramp shot and threw his wicket away, leading to sharp criticism. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was on commentary, labelled the shot “stupid, stupid, stupid”

Following the Australia series, where Pant scored only 255 runs in five Tests at an average of 28.33, he was benched for the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy. India went on to win that tournament, but Pant didn’t play a single match.

Pant’s Silent Self-Punishment

According to Times of India, Pant took the criticism personally. In March 2025, he uninstalled WhatsApp and switched off his phone, using it only when absolutely necessary. He completely cut off social distractions to focus on himself and his game.

Even during the Champions Trophy, when he wasn’t in the playing XI, Pant was pushing himself hard behind the scenes. India’s former strength and conditioning coach Sohum Desai shared that Pant didn’t waste a single day.

“He dragged me to the gym every time he was free. He didn’t care about fatigue or workload. He said, ‘I need to fix myself.’ On the day of the final, he came to me looking guilty and asked if he could take the day off. I told him it was about time he did,” Desai told Times of India.

From IPL Struggles to Test Redemption

Pant had a poor IPL 2025 season for Lucknow Super Giants, failing to cross 300 runs in the tournament. It was only a late century against RCB that helped boost his stats.

But since returning to Test cricket, Pant has transformed. His back-to-back centuries at Headingley not only silenced his critics but also pushed him to a career-best ICC Test Batting Ranking – No. 7 in the world.

India will next take on England in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, starting July 2.