Players score big on swagcard
FROM JADEJA’S SWORD DANCE TO DHAWAN’S THIGH-PATTING MOVES, CRICKETERS ARE CELEBRATING BIG MOMENTS WITH UNIQUE STYLE
Footballer Antoine Griezmann, who claimed the Golden Boot in the Euro Cup last year, not only stunned everyone with his skills but also caught everyone’s attention with his trademark style of celebrations. He would stick out his thumb and little finger on both hands to form a pair of rotating telephones inspired from Drake’s music video Hotline Bling. His teammate Paul Pogba, the Manchester United star has already popularised the dab dance. Then there is Gareth Bale’s ‘heart’ celebrations and his Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Siii’ celebrations where the latter leaps into the air, spins 180 degrees and flings his arms out by his sides.
While footballers have always been known for their unique style of celebrations, cricketers are not far behind, spearheaded by the West Indies players, whose flamboyant cricket is usually flanked by their Caribbean-style revelry. When West Indies won their first World T20 title in 2012, they celebrated by performing the Gangnam Style. Four years later, when the repeated the feat, the team was dancing to a new number Champion, sung by Dwayne Bravo. With Darren Sammy putting a pacifier
around his neck, and sucked on it every time he send a batsman packing, their female counterparts doing the Conga line, to a recent incident of a self-proclaimed ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle doing a ‘Salt Bae’ after becoming the first player ever to register 10,000 runs in the shortest format of the game, WI players have done it time and again. Indian players seem to be following suit with many players coming with their own characteristic style of celebrating moments.
For example, Shikhar Dhawan, who is in a sublime form in the Champions Trophy, patted his thigh after scoring century against Sri Lanka. He does the same after taking catches. Nicknamed Gabbar, the bastman seemed to have ditched his signature moustache-twirling style.
Ravindra Jadeja, who became a father recently, is not far behind in the swag department. In the last test series with Australia, the allrounder did a swordstyle celebration making sure that the opponents consider his bat as a lethal weapon. The new kid on the block, Hardik Pandya jumps in a way that reminds of Brett Lee’s sideway jump that only meant one thing — the bastman is going back to the pavilion.
“The times have changed. Today, everything spreads on social media so fast,” says former cricketer Atul Wassan
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