Decoding Ravindra Jadeja, David Warner & other celebrations in cricket

Scoring fifties, centuries, picking up wickets or a brilliant run-out always warrants a big celebration. The emotion after achieving something special is hard to hide for most of the cricketers and it further symbolizes the effort that the player has put into getting there. 

More than anything, it expresses a sigh of relief for the player, who has put in the hard yards, and it is finally paying off.

We take a look at some of the best celebrations.

David Warner

One of the greatest batters Australia has ever produced, David Warner, has had numerous chances to wheel away in celebration. The southpaw has hit 49 international hundreds for Australia and many more in domestic and T20 cricket. However, over the years, his celebration has always remained the same. 

However, given his affiliations with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he has picked up a new celebration - the Pushpa celebration - much to the adulation of his fans in India.

Ravindra Jadeja

One of the best all-rounders in world cricket at the moment, Ravindra Jadeja, is an asset to any team in the world, be it with the ball, bowl or even while fielding. Jadeja does the sword celebration every time he gets to a fifty or scores a hundred.

The all-founder hails from a Rajput family in Gujarat, and his celebration is a way of showing tribute to his Rajput heritage. 

Sheldon Cottrell

West Indies fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell was earlier with the Jamaican Defence Force (JDF). As a result, whenever he picks up a wicket, he does a salute as a tribute to them. He credits for his discipline over the years. In fact, as part of the force, Cottrell was among those who were manning the pitch at Sabina Park pitch ahead of the ODI between India and West Indies in 2011.

KL Rahul

The best way to answer your critics is with the bat. That’s how some of the greats in the past did and that’s how KL Rahul likes to do it as well. After coming under the pump for below-par performances, Rahul rose to the occasion, slamming tons for India and also in the IPL, to silence his critics. That's what this celebration is all about - just blocking all the outside noise. 

He has donned literally all the caps for his side – be it batting, wicketkeeping, or even leading his sides when the time arose.

Kesrick Williams

Another West Indies pacer on the list, Kesrick Williams, did not have a particularly fruitful international career, but he was more in the news for the send-off he gave Virat Kohli. In a T20I in Hyderabad, Williams dismissed Kohli and did a notebook celebration, gesturing that he was taking his name down in it, which he had also done in the CPL.

However, Kohli did not forget that and had a comeback of his own when the two teams came toe-to-toe next. 

Tabraiz Shamsi

Tabraiz Shamsi not only has a few variations up his sleeve with the ball but also has a few unique celebrations of his own. From the bus driver's celebration to Sub-Zero (Mortal Kombat), Shamsi has ensured that the crowd’s eyes remain on him to see what celebration he pulls out.

Here’s a look at them:

The Bus Driver

The masked magician

Shoe phone celebration

Sub-zero

Kevin Sinclair

Who dat, right?

Kevin Sinclair made his Test debut in the recent Test at the Gabba and stunned the Aussies with a superb fifty down the order. Not just that, he also picked up his maiden wicket in the format – that of Usman Khawaja and celebrated that with a cartwheel celebration. 

Before that, he did that on multiple occasions when he picked up four wickets against the UAE in an ODI in June last year.

Hasan Ali 

Is a celebration worth an injury? Just ask Hasan Ali. He usually pulls off his “generator” celebration to perfection, but in a game against Zimbabwe in an ODI in 2018, he pulled something else – a muscle in his neck.

On the thousands of occasions before and after that, it has been flawless.

Even David Warner replicated it when Hasan got out in a Test match.

Usman Khawaja 

Usman Khawaja is a massive fan of basketball superstar LeBron James. James calls it the “silencer” intended to silence the opposition team and their fans.

Khawaja brought out the celebration during his comeback Test in Sydney, where he scored a century in both innings.

Wanindu Hasaranga 

Sri Lanka spin wizard Wanindu Hasaragna, known to bamboozle the opposition batters with his terrific wrist-spin, brought out the Neymar celebration, admitting that he is a big fan of the Brazilian football star, who brings it out every time he scores a goal.