The former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Wk-batter Rishabh Pant‘s defensive technique after the conclusion of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Despite enduring an inconsistent series with the bat scoring only 255 runs at an average of 28.33, Ashwin lauded the left-handed batter for his approach.
The veteran scored only one half-century in nine innings despite getting off to solid starts on Several occasions. Pant showcased his batting in the final test played at Sydney with a 98-ball 40 and a 33-ball 60 in the first and second innings, respectively on an extremely challenging batting wicket.
Speaking on his YouTube Ashwin hailed Pant’s defensive skills saying, “We must realise that Rishabh Pant rarely gets out playing a defence. He’s got one of the best defences in world cricket.”
Defence has become a challenging aspect, he has the best defence with a soft hand. I have bowled to him a lot in the nets, he’s not gotten out, he doesn’t get an edge, he doesn’t get LBW, he has the best defence.”
“I have tried telling it to him. One opinion about Rishabh was that he plays a lot of shots, he has to fight it out in Test cricket,” he said.
“I have always grown up hearing that you have fight it out. In Sydney, he played two different knocks in one single game. He got hit everywhere and scored a 40, it will be the least spoken innings of Rishabh Pant,” said Ravichandran Ashwin.
“It is very unfair. In the second innings, he scored a swashbuckling fifty, earning him a lot of praise. Everyone forgot that first innings and praised him for the second knock.”
Ashwin has played with Pant in Team India for several years and recently retired midway through the Australian series.
Rishabh Pant has impressive test runs with 3000 runs at an average of 42 in 43 outings. Ashwin believes Rishabh Pant is still to realize his full potential with the bat. He called on the wicket-keeper batter to work on finding the ideal balance between defense and attack.
“We have to tell him properly what he has to do if he has to bat solid or bat with intent. He hasn’t scored a lot of runs, but he didn’t play like someone without runs. He has a lot of time on his hands. Rishabh Pant is yet to realise his fullest potential,” said off spinner.
“He has all the shots—reverse sweep, slog sweep, everything—but the problem is that all these shots are high-risk shots. With his defence, he will surely score runs every game if he faces 200 balls.”
“The point is finding that middle game. If he combines all of it, he will score 100 runs every game. He has to find that middle game.”
Rishabh Pant has played a massive role in India’s back-to-back test series wins in Australia 2018/19 and 2020/21. However, his run in the recent series meant India suffered a 1-3 defeat in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
His next assignment could be white ball series against England with BCCI is yet to announce the squad at home which begins on January 22.
