Former Indian veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Rishabh Pant’s batting skills and said that his game and defense are excellent. However, he also expressed disappointment over Pant’s careless shot selection, which often leads to his dismissal. Ashwin believes that Pant is a very good player and has the ability to make a significant impact, but he needs to take more responsibility and be more careful with his shots.
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This comes after India suffered a humiliating 408-run defeat to South Africa in the second Test, resulting in a 0-2 series loss. Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Aish that when Rishabh Pant used to bat, my heartbeat used to increase in the dressing room. His game and defense is fantastic, so I always wonder why he plays those shots. I would still say that he is a very good player, and the day he takes the responsibility, things will start to change. I don’t deny his X-factor. Nathan Astle once scored close to 200 in Christchurch.
He further said that but after that he did not play the same in every Test. Similarly, batsmen cannot play the same way every time. I have said this in the dressing room too, but until he realizes this, it cannot change. If you are the captain today, 10 others will follow your footsteps. Therefore responsibility is important. Pant was India’s acting captain in the second Test against South Africa as regular captain Shubman Gill was ruled out of the match with a neck injury. Pant’s performance in the Proteas Test series was not good and he scored only 49 runs in four innings.
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Ashwin expressed disappointment over India’s performance in the Test series, saying that he was not sad about the defeat but was disappointed by the team’s lack of fight. He believes that the Guwahati pitch for the second match was of Test standard and would have been proud had the team shown more resilience and taken the match to the last session.