MS Dhoni degraded as R Ashwin orders Gautam Gambhir to have serious talk with Rishabh Pant: "I request you…"

Former India National Cricket Team off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been left in awe of the talent that the star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant possesses.

Ravichandran Ashwin said that Rishabh Pant is considered an attacking batsman, but he also has a great defence to become an immensely successful batsman in Test cricket.

Rishabh Pant delivers a historic performance, but India lose 1st Test

Pant had the biggest workload in the Test series opener against the England National Cricket Team at Headingley in Leeds as he hit twin tons and had to keep wickets for over 180 overs.

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He batted exceptionally well in both innings after being appointed as the Test vice-captain and made life difficult for the English bowlers.

Pant was at his unorthodox best in the match and scored 134 runs off 178 balls in the first innings, including 12 fours and 6 sixes, before blasting 118 runs off 140 balls, with 15 fours and 3 sixes, in the second innings.

Rishabh Pant pulled off two different celebrations as he reached his tons in the match and became only the second wicketkeeper-batsman in history to hit twin tons in a Test match after Andy Flower.

Pant's performance helped him make massive gains in the ICC Test Batting Rankings, and he moved to the seventh spot, with 801 rating points, which is the most achieved by an Indian wicketkeeper-batsman in Test history. However, he couldn't save India from facing a defeat.

There is not even one shot in the book that he cannot play - Ravichandran Ashwin

Speaking after the match, Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Pant for his historic performance in the first Test, saying that he has got each and every shot in his arsenal as a batter.

“Rishabh Pant scored twin hundreds; he joins an elite list of batters. Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli are all in the list, and Rishabh Pant has now joined them. Rishabh Pant now has the highest number of centuries as an Indian wicketkeeper-batter,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.

"Rishabh had a fantastic game, but I would like to repeat that he has a great defence. There is not even one shot in the book that he cannot play,” he added.

I request you to make a double hundred next time - Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin further urged head coach Gautam Gambhir to request Pant to look for a double hundred whenever he is in the middle the next time, keeping in mind the lower-order struggles of India.

“I sometimes feel if I was Gautam Gambhir, I would take him aside and tell him, 'you played exceptionally well and I would have loved to be the batter with the ability that you have' but can I request you to make a double hundred next time when you are batting at 130 because you know the lower-order cannot contribute much. That would be the only request I would make of Rishabh. What a talented player,” said Ashwin.

Notably, India suffered two shocking collapses in the Leeds Test and couldn't score the desired runs. The Shubman Gill & Co. went from 430/3 to 471 all out in the first innings, and in the second innings, India went from 333/4 to 364.

Ravichandran Ashwin also spoke about the comparisons between Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni and stated that it is not the right thing to do.

According to the legendary spinner, Pant is a superior batter to MS Dhoni because he is a batter-keeper, and the latter was a keeper-batter, who never batted in the Top 5.

“Comparing MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant is not fair. MS Dhoni never batted at No.5. MS Dhoni was a keeper-batter, and I would say Pant is a batter-keeper. There are a lot of differences in that. Rishabh Pant should be compared with the likes of Virat Kohli. He is a main batter. The time and skill Pant has, when he is batting, look at the time he has against the pacers,” he added.

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir removes star pacer from squad after India's 1st Test horror show