'Rishabh Pant is actually letting me down' - Ravi Ashwin on the keeper's poor DRS calls

Rishabh Pant might have performed exceedingly well with both bat as well as wicketkeeping gloves in the recent Test series against Australia and England but his teammate Ravi Ashwin is not too impressed with him. The India spin spearhead has said that his younger teammate let him down by not helping him in making the right DRS calls during the home series against England.

Ashwin was in sensational form with the ball during the four-match series. With 32 wickets to his name, he finished the series as the highest wicket-taker. Ashwin also scored a century during the series as India came from behind to win the series 3-1. But unlike his performance with the ball and bat, Ashwin’s performance with the DRS calls left a lot to be desired.

‘I will go for better DRS in the future series’ – Ravi Ashwin

Throughout the series, the right-arm spinner was wayward in his DRS calls. He and captain Virat Kohli got multiple LBW referrals wrong in the four Tests, even as the on-field umpires were spot on with their decisions. In a recent interview, Ashwin stated that he is looking to improve in the future. At the same time, he also pointed out the lack of support from wicketkeeper Pant. The Tamil Nadu ace also revealed that head coach Ravi Shastri was not impressed with his DRS calls.

“I think we need to change the lens with which people are looking at me for the DRS. Before this series against England, my DRS [usage] was extremely good. Because you take the DRS, you need to rely on the keeper’s resources. I ask valid questions in terms of saying ‘I know whether the ball struck inline or not’. But with respect to the line from the angle that I am bowling and the bounce, the keeper really needs to help. And Rishabh is actually letting me down, on a lot of occasions. I took him aside and said we need to sit down and discuss because Ravi Bhai has a few complaints about me going for DRS,” Ravichandran Ashwin told India Today.

“So honestly, yeah, if there is one improvement I am looking to make, I will go for better DRS in the future series. I will hold myself in check and we have been playing on red-soil pitches after a long time. It plays a huge role,” he added.

Ashwin will be next seen in action in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). IPL 2021 is scheduled to start on April 9. The off-spinner will be plying his trade for Delhi Capitals. Ashwin had helped the team make it to the final last year and will be hoping to help the Capitals clinch their first-ever IPL title this year.