‘I will change my name…’ : R Ashwin gives his take on Rishabh Pant’s defence | Cricket News
While Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant amassed 255 runs at an average of 28.33 in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, the Indian batsman found a lot of criticism post his dismissal in the first innings of the Melbourne Test in the series. Pant fell while trying to attempt a scoop shot off the bowling of Scott Boland with India placed at 195 for 5 in India’s first innings in response to Australia’s first innings’ total of 474 in Melbourne and Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar had called Pant’s tactics as stupid.
Pant played a gritty knock of 40 runs during India’s second innings in the Sydney Test and Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired during the series, has lauded Pant for this defence. Ashwin shared that he would change his name if ‘someone can show Pant getting out while defending 10 times’.
“We must realise that Rishabh Pant rarely gets out playing 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 will change my name if someone can show me Pant getting out while defending 10 times,” Ashwin said on his Youtube channel.
While Gavaskar had lost his cool on Pant’s dismissal in India’s first innings in the Melbourne Test, the Indian legend had praised Pant for his defiance later in the series. Pant played knocks of 40 and 61 in the Sydney Test, a Test which also saw him getting hit on the body for more than ten times during his 98-ball 40-run knock in first innings.
Ashwin too lauded Pant’s efforts. “Test cricket is never easy and you have to fight it out. He played two different knocks in Sydney. He scored 40 runs in the first innings and was hit everywhere. It was the least spoken innings of his and its unfair. In the second innings, he scored a sensational fifty and was praised everyone. Everyone forgot what he did in the first innings and praised him for his second knock,” said Ashwin.
Pant has so far played in 43 test matches amassing 2948 runs. The Indian batsman has a strike rate of 73.62 along with an average of 42.11. Ashwin also shared about him bowling to Pant in the nets and seeing his defensive game too. “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. Test cricket is playing according to the situation. In the last seven years, batting has become significantly difficult, from 2018 to 2025. But, in the WTC cycle, batting averages have decreased. Joe Root is in his own zone. Of course, Williamson… Smith has rediscovered again. What we realised is, Rishabh Pant has played in these times.” Ashwin added.
Ashwin also believes that the team management needs to tell Pant about the things needed from him for the team. “We have to tell him properly what he has to do if he has to bat solidly 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 Ashwin.
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