Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin is far from happy with India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's performance in the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka.
Rishabh Pant aggregated 168 runs from three innings at an average of 56 with two half-centuries to his name. In the second Test in Colombo, Pant retired hurt while not out on three after sustaining a wrist injury. He later returned to bat and scored 63 runs from 89 deliveries, hitting six fours and two sixes.
Ashwin compared Pant's performance with that of Sri Lanka's Sonal Dinusha, who finished as the highest run-getter of the Test series with 420 runs from four innings, with three centuries to his name.
“My expectation from Rishabh Pant hasn't been fulfilled till now. I am very sorry. Sonal Dinusha had his strike rate up there. But the difference is high-risk options. When you have the game in your hand, these are all statements: ‘That’s how Rishabh plays.' It is about what your team needs,” Ashwin said during a show on his YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat.
Ashwin recalls Pant's Brisbane, Sydney knocks
The former Tamil Nadu cricketer noted that while Pant played a "class knock" in Sydney and Brisbane during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the series may not have been won without Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur. India went on to win the four-match series 2-1.
"Rishabh played a class knock in Sydney and Brisbane, but you couldn't have won that match without Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur. It takes 11 cricketers to build a Test and win it in the last session of the game, but it takes only 1 moment of foolishness to lose a Test," the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player added.
"I am just talking about the times when these chances are being taken when the game is on the line. I love Rishabh the player. It is about playing situations in this format. Sehwag and Gilchrist played high brand of cricket, but these two don't get edged out while dancing down to Marco Jansen when your team is trailing by 500 runs. Don't place these marketing lines in front of me ever again," he explained.
Is Pant a one-in-a-generation player?
Sports journalist Vimal Kumar, who was part of the discussion with Ashwin, observed that Pant is a once-in-a-generation player, but Ashwin wasn't having any of it.
Ashwin stressed that the 28-year-old doesn't need special treatment and added that he needs to take more responsibility.
"Don't give one player special treatment. This once-in-a-generation player backing, then give it to everyone. Jaiswal is also such a player. All I'm saying, Rishabh, is that he is experienced; he has played 50 Tests.
“He needs to take responsibility. Don't come up with this 'once-in-a-generation' argument. It is because of his decision-making that he's not playing the other two formats. The day you tell him the truth, he will be an all-format player for India," the 39-year-old said.
The 1-0 series win over Sri Lanka meant that India remained static in fifth place in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, with 64 points and a points percentage (PCT) of 51.52.
India’s next Test assignment will be a two-match series away against New Zealand in November, before facing Australia at home in a five-match series starting in January 2027.