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Rishabh Pant once again showed why he is one of India's most dangerous batters in Test cricket, but his dismissal in the recent one-off Test against Afghanistan has left Ravichandran Ashwin frustrated. India defeated Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs at Mullanpur, but Pant's dismissal has once again raised questions about his approach, as he missed out on a century.
The left-hander was batting beautifully and had reached 81. With a hundred well within reach, Pant decided to go for a big hit despite fielders being stationed at long-off and long-on. The gamble backfired, and he ended up losing his wicket, falling just 19 runs short of a well-deserved century.
Ravichandran Ashwin left disappointed by Rishabh Pant's reckless shot selection against Afghanistan
Reacting to his dismissal, former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin slammed one of India’s best wicketkeepers Rishabh Pant for the way he lost his wicket against Afghanistan at Mullanpur. The former all-rounder questioned Pant's decision-making at such an important stage of the innings and felt that the star batter continues to make the same mistakes in Test cricket.
Ashwin pointed out that Pant has now been dismissed between 80 and 99 on nine occasions in his Test career, saying converting those starts into centuries could have made his record even more remarkable, as he is now only part of the longest format of the game.
Ravichandra Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel, “You've gotten out so many times in the 80s and 90s. It's impossible to discover such a great Test batter. But playing such a shot on 80 is mind-boggling. Having come to 80, can't you play for another 20 runs? He has cost India a few times through baffling shots at the wrong time. As a batter, he has to take that extra responsibility. If he had converted his multiple 80s to 100s, his stats would look unbelievable.”
Ravichandran Ashwin questions Rishabh Pant's 'Game Awareness'
The former Indian spinner has slammed Pant for now showing greater awareness of match situations despite playing over 50 Tests for the team. He stressed that the Indian wicketkeeper-batter must value his wicket and think about the team's needs before taking risks.
The former off-spinner added, “All batters make mistakes, but the amount of time he does it is disappointing. Especially when so many have told you that it's a mistake and to still keep doing it, I am not okay with that. He has played more than 50 Tests now. So, he needs to start playing the situation for the team on many occasions.”
Still, Ashwin rated Pant among the finest Test batters of the modern era and praised his defensive technique, saying that the left-hander has remarkable time to play the ball and possesses a strong all-round game capable of handling any bowling attack.
Ashwin urges Pant to choose smarter options in crucial moments
However, Ashwin, who slammed Indian selectors for mistreating Kuldeep Yadav, noted that several experts and former cricketers have spoken about his repeated mistakes and reckless shot selection, yet Pant continues to lose his wicket in similar fashion. He advised Pant to take extra responsibility and make the right decisions according to the situation.
Ashwin signed off by saying, “I've told him so many times that you've so much time to defend and can play whatever shot you want to. Why do you get yourself out? Many will say it's his natural game. But the natural game is playing the percentages in Test cricket. A good percentage shot is knowing there is a 70% success rate. When you look to hit a ball over the fielders on the boundary, it's not a percentage shot at all.”
