Rishabh Pant had a respectable series against Sri Lanka, scoring 168 runs in the two-match series, including two half-centuries. However, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is not fully satisfied with how the wicketkeeper-batter went about his business, urging him to do more and play according to the match situation. Over the last few months, there has been a lot of scrutiny on Pant and his attacking instincts, with a section feeling that the left-hander doesn’t put enough price on his wicket.
Last year, when Pant was leading India in the absence of Shubman Gill against South Africa in Guwahati, the 28-year-old threw his wicket away off the bowling of Marco Jansen, dancing down the track, only to edge the ball to the wicketkeeper.
Pant also finds himself out of favour when it comes to the white-ball formats, and is only a Test player for India for now. Hence, it was not surprising to hear Ashwin wanting better results from the batter.
“My expectation from Rishabh Pant hasn’t been fulfilled till now. I am very sorry. Sonal Dinusha had his strike rate up there. But the difference is high-risk options. When you have the game in your hand, these are all statements: ‘That’s how Rishabh plays.’ It is about what your team needs,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
When Ashwin was speaking, the host argued that Pant is a once-in-a-generation player and should be allowed some leeway, as this approach also resulted in some memorable wins for India. However, the former Indian spinner countered this point with straight-up facts.
“Rishabh played a class knock in Sydney and Brisbane, but you couldn’t have won that match without Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur. It takes 11 cricketers to build a Test and win it in the last session of the game, but it takes only 1 moment of foolishness to lose a Test,” said Ashwin.
“I am just talking about the times when these chances are being taken when the game is on the line. I love Rishabh the player. It is about playing situations in this format. Sehwag and Gilchrist played high brand of cricket, but these two don’t get edged out while dancing down to Marco Jansen when your team is trailing by 500 runs. Don’t place these marketing lines in front of me ever again,” he added.
‘Tell him the truth’
Ashwin also said that the need of the hour is to give Pant some honest feedback as he finds himself out of India’s squads in both Tests and ODIs. He added that he is a big fan of Pant but wants him to play according to the situation to become an all-format player for the team.
“Don’t give one player special treatment. This once-in-a-generation player backing, then give it to everyone. Jaiswal is also such a player. All I’m saying, Rishabh, is that he is experienced; he has played 50 Tests. He needs to take responsibility. Don’t come up with this ‘once-in-a-generation’ argument. It is because of his decision-making that he’s not playing the other two formats. The day you tell him the truth, he will be an all-format player for India,” said Ashwin.
Leave a Reply