Rishabh Pant is yet to realise his fullest potential: Ravichandran Ashwin
Pant is coming off a 255-run BGT 2024-25.
After several years of Rishabh Pant being involved in international cricket, it is a well-established fact that the attacking left-handed batter is not someone who likes to play the waiting game - irrespective of the circumstances in front of him and regardless of the format. In fact, this strategy of Pant has paid off on multiple instances. There have been few occurrences of Pant seeming to "throw away his wicket," but that is what one gets with attacking strokeplay.
Recently-retired Indian cricketer, Ravichandran Ashwin, made a stunning revelation on Pant possessing "one of the best defences in the world". He backed up his claim by sharing his experience of bowling to Pant across multiple net sessions.
"We must realise that Rishabh Pant rarely gets out playing a 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 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," shared Ashwin in a video on his YouTube channel.
Speaking on his recent performances, Ashwin expressed that the southpaw was "yet to realise his fullest potential".
"We have to tell him properly what he has to do if he has to bat solid 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," he added.
If he combines all of it, he will score 100 runs every game: Ashwin
Ashwin emphasized that despite Pant boasting of the shots in the book, what would ultimately ensure him to score consistently would be his defensive technique.
"He has all the shots reverse-sweep, slog-sweep, everything, but the problem is that all these shots are high-risk shots. With his defence, he will surely score runs every game if he faces 200 balls. The point is finding that middle game. If he combines all of it, he will score 100 runs every game. He has to find that middle game," noted Ashwin.
Ever since Pant has become a regular feature for India in the longest format, he has often provided the much-needed impetus to an innings with his ability to score at a brisk rate. He has registered 2,948 runs at an average of 42.11 in Test cricket.
Download Our App