Sunil Gavaskar Reacts To Rishabh Pant Using The F-Word On Live TV

Sunil Gavaskar Reacts To Rishabh Pant Using The F-Word On Live TV

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Last Updated: May 25, 2026, 15:59 IST

Sunil Gavaskar defends Rishabh Pant for using the F word on live TV after LSG's loss to RR.

Sunil Gavaskar (L) and Rishabh Pant. (PTI, Screengrab)

India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has defended Rishabh Pant for using the F-word on live TV after Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) defeat to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026 on May 20. Gavaskar said the emotions got the better of Pant because the broadcasters wanted the losing captain to speak immediately after the match, when his feelings were too raw.

LSG ended the season in 10th place. Pant would have felt extreme pressure throughout — he was signed for an IPL record fee, and this was the second year in a row where he had failed to take them to the playoffs, all the while with his batting records dropping to newer lows. While LSG were already eliminated before the RR match, he had done the most of these post-match interviews among all the captains in the league.

“Rishabh Pant dropping the ‘F’ word in his post-game interview does make one wonder whether it is necessary to interview the captain whose team has just lost the game barely minutes earlier," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day. “If it’s been a last-over finish, then the disappointment for the captain would be even greater and if he is also the wicketkeeper who has been running up and down to the stumps every other delivery and that too in this heat, then it can add to his frustration," he said.

Gavaskar said the captains of losing teams should be given a few extra minutes before post-match interviews so they can compose themselves. He felt speaking to the Player of the Match first would be more apt.

“Rishabh Pant is one of the most cheerful guys in the game who loves playing the sport in his own unique way. And the fact that even he lost it does make the case for the losing team’s captain to be given a few more minutes to recover his thoughts rather than have the mic shoved in his face even before he has had time to get his breath back. Is that too much to ask?" Gavaskar questioned.

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First Published: May 25, 2026, 15:59 IST

News cricket Sunil Gavaskar Reacts To Rishabh Pant Using The F-Word On Live TV

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