Ravichandran Ashwin believe Ritha Pant He has been criticized for poor shot selection in his last five Tests but has yet to reach his full potential series against Australia.

Pant’s recent performances have come under scrutiny as he failed to replicate his heroics during the 2020-21 tour of Australia in the recent 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a match India won in Perth.

Ravichandran Ashwin says Rishabh Pant is yet to reach his full potential amid criticism of poor BGT 2024-25

In the last five Test series, the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman has scored just 255 runs at an average of 28.33, with his highest score being 61 in the final innings in Sydney. India lost the Test series 1-3 to Australia, who lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy more than a decade later.

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Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired after the Adelaide Test last month, believes Rishabh Pant has one of the best defenses in world cricket if he can Finding a balance between aggressive play and patience, he has the ability to score a century in every game. method.

The recently retired Indian off-spinner revealed that Pant was never dismissed by him in the Nets and was never given a lead or an LBW. Ashwin also praised India’s left-handed batsman, who has every bat in the book and has the ability to turn the game around in a few overs.

He has all the shots but he has to find the balance: Ravichandran Ashwin on Rishabh Pant

Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel: “If he has to bat solidly or bat with intention, we have to tell him correctly what he has to do. He doesn’t score many runs, But he’s not performing like a run-getter. He’s got a lot of free time and Rishabh Pant hasn’t reached his full potential yet.”

He added, “He has all the shots — the reverse sweep, the hard sweep, everything — but the problem is all of those shots are high-risk shots. With his defense, if he faces 200 balls, he’s definitely going to Score every game. The key is to find the middle ground and if he combines it, he’s going to score 100 points every game.”

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Rishabh Pant, meanwhile, is known for his aggressive style of play but Ashwin was not surprised by his gritty and determined innings in the first innings of the Sydney Test. Pant became the Indian’s second-fastest Test fifty in just 29 deliveries in the first innings, while he was much slower and hard-fought in the first innings against Australia at the SCG. Only 40 points were scored.

Rishabh Pant rarely goes out to defend: Ashwin

The former India all-rounder pointed out that Pant bowled two different knocks in one match. He was hit everywhere and shot a 40 and then a swashbuckling 50 in Sydney and Ashwin pointed out that it was very unfair that everyone had forgotten about the first innings and praised his fiery batting.

He concluded by saying: “We have to realize that Rishay Pant rarely goes out to defend. He has one of the best defenses in world cricket. Defending has become a challenging aspect; he has the best defense and softness The touch. If someone could tell me that Pant was out in 10 overs, I would have changed the name.

“I bowled a lot to him on the net; he didn’t get out; he didn’t get an edge; he didn’t get LBW; he had the best fielding. I tried to tell him that. One thing about Rishabh is that he bowls A lot of balls; he has to give it his all in Test cricket.”