Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has hailed wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s defensive approach after the conclusion of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Pant endured an inconsistent collection with the bat, scoring solely 255 runs at a median of 28.33.
The southpaw scored only one half-century in 9 innings regardless of getting off to strong begins on a number of events. But, Pant showcased his versatility within the last Take a look at at Sydney with a 98-ball 40 and a 33-ball 61 within the first and second innings, respectively, on a particularly difficult batting wicket.
Talking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin hailed Pant’s defensive expertise and felt his first-inning 40 had unfairly flown below the radar amidst his second-inning onslaught.
“We should realise that Rishabh Pant hardly ever will get out taking part in a defence. He’s acquired among the finest defences in world cricket. Defence has develop into a difficult facet, he has the perfect defence with a smooth hand. I’ve bowled to him lots within the nets, he’s not gotten out, he doesn’t get an edge, he doesn’t get LBW, he has the perfect defence. I’ve tried telling it to him. One opinion about Rishabh was that he performs a variety of pictures, he has to battle it out in Take a look at cricket,” he mentioned.
Ashwin added:
“I’ve all the time grown up listening to that you’ve battle it out. In Sydney, he performed two completely different knocks in a single single recreation. He acquired hit in every single place and scored a 40, will probably be the least spoken innings of Rishabh Pant. It is rather unfair. Within the second innings, he scored a swashbuckling fifty, incomes him a variety of reward. Everybody forgot that first innings and praised him for the second knock.”
Ashwin has performed with Pant in Workforce India for a number of years and just lately retired halfway via the Australian collection.
In the meantime, Pant boasts spectacular Take a look at numbers with nearly 3,000 runs at a median of over 42 in 43 outings.
“Rishabh Pant is but to understand his fullest potential” – Ravichandran Ashwin
![Pant threw away several starts with rash shots against Australia [Source: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/01/a6009-17364483593498-1920.jpg)
Ravichandran Ashwin believes Rishabh Pant remains to be to comprehend his full potential with the bat. He known as on the wicketkeeper-batter to work on discovering the best steadiness between protection and assault.
Regardless of his a number of heroic efforts prior to now, Pant was closely criticized for his premature dismissals whereas taking part in rash pictures throughout the Australian collection.
“We now have to inform him correctly what he has to do if he has to bat strong or bat with intent. He hasn’t scored a variety of runs, however he didn’t play like somebody with out runs. He has a variety of time on his fingers. Rishabh Pant is but to understand his fullest potential,” mentioned Ashwin.
He concluded:
“He has all of the pictures—reverse sweep, slog sweep, the whole lot—however the issue is that each one these pictures are high-risk pictures. Together with his defence, he will certainly rating runs each recreation if he faces 200 balls. The purpose is discovering that center recreation. If he combines all of it, he’ll rating 100 runs each recreation. He has to search out that center recreation.”
Pant performed a large function in India’s back-to-back Take a look at collection wins in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21.
Nevertheless, his sub-par exhibiting within the current collection meant India suffered a 1-3 defeat to give up the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia.
Edited by Arshit Garg