Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant’s defensive technique after the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Pant endured an inconsistent series with the bat, scoring just 255 runs at an average of 28.33.
The southpaw only scored a half-century in nine innings despite making good starts on several occasions. Still, Gasp demonstrated his versatility in the last Test in Sydney with a 98-ball 40 and a 33-ball 61 in the first and second innings respectively on a very challenging batting wicket.
On his YouTube channel, Ashwin praised Pant’s defensive skills and felt his 40 in the first innings had unfairly flown under the radar amid his attack in the second innings.
“We have to realize that Rishabh Pant rarely plays in defence. He has one of the best defenses in world cricket. Defense has become a challenging aspect, he has the best defense with a soft hand. I’ve bowled against him a lot.” the nets, he doesn’t get out, he doesn’t get any advantage, he doesn’t get LBW, he has the best defense I tried to tell him that he plays a lot He has to be in the Enforce Test cricket when it comes to the number of shots,” he said.
Ashwin added:
“I always heard that you fought. In Sydney he played two different shots in a single game. He was hit all over the place and scored a 40, which will be Rishabh Pant’s least talked about innings. That’s very unfair. He scored a swashbuckling fifty in the second innings, which earned him high praise and praise for batting second.
Ashwin played with Pant in Team India for several years and recently retired midway through the Australian series.
Pant now has impressive Test numbers with almost 3,000 runs and an average of over 42 in 43 appearances.
“Rishabh Pant is yet to realize his full potential” – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin believes Rishabh Pant is yet to reach his full potential with the bat. He asked the wicketkeeper-batter to work on finding the ideal balance between defense and attack.
Despite his numerous heroics in the past, Pant was heavily criticized for his early dismissals while playing rash shots during the Australian series.
“We need to tell him properly what he needs to do when he needs to hit hard or with intent. He didn’t score many runs, but he didn’t play like someone without runs. He has a lot of time.” “Rishabh Pant hasn’t reached his full potential yet,” said Ashwin.
He concluded:
“He has all the shots – reverse sweep, slog sweep, everything – but the problem is that all of those shots are high-risk throws. With his defense, he is sure to score runs in every game he faces 200 balls. The point is to find him.” If he combines everything, he will score 100 runs in every game. He has to find that middle game.
Pant played a big role in this of India Two consecutive Test series wins in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21.
His below average performance in the current series meant India suffered a 3-1 defeat and surrendered the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia.
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