One-time Test India played against Afghanistan made several encouraging speeches, but the special kick attempt became the main talking point after the match. While the shots have won wide praise for their quality and impact, the former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin offered a mixed assessment.
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the Test, Ashwin hailed the immense talent of his batsman and even made a bold claim that India stands in the current Test set-up. However, the former spinner also questioned the decision-making that prevented the innings from becoming a bigger contribution for the team.
Ravichandran Ashwin calls the Indian batsman the best Test player in the country
Ashwin reserved the high praise Rishabh pantsdescribed him as India’s best batsman in Test cricket. However, the veteran spinner admitted he was disappointed to see Pant miss out on a century after re-entering the 80s. According to Ashwin, Pant has all the qualities required to dominate red ball cricket and is the best batsman in the Test format.
“You’ve been out many times in the 80s and 90s. It’s impossible to discover such a great Test batsman. But to play an innings like that in 80 is mind-blowing. Once you get to 80, can’t you play 20 more runs?” Ashwin said.
He pointed out that the wicket-keeper-batsman was dismissed many times in the 80s and 90s despite being in full control of the crease. The former Indian all-rounder further stated that Pant’s statistics could have improved considerably had he converted more of these promising knocks into centuries.
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The former spinner is unhappy with another missed century
Ashwin also revealed that he had personally spoken to Pant several times about the importance of handling situations better in Test cricket. While admitting that every batsman makes mistakes, he felt that the keeper-fielder now has enough experience to understand when to curb his attacking instincts.
“Especially when a lot of people say it’s wrong and he’s still doing it, I don’t agree with that. He’s done more than 50 Tests now. So he has to start playing the team position in a lot of situations. He’s actually the best Test batsman. When he defends, he’s so good that even Gavaskar is amazed if he can defend the ball,” he said. Ashwin explained.
The 39-year-old stressed that Test cricket is often about balancing aggression with game awareness and suggested that Pant’s batting selection at key moments had sometimes cost India valuable opportunities. Despite the criticism, Ashwin has made it clear that he remains one of Pant’s biggest fans in the red-ball format. He even put the wicket-keeper-bat over several well-known Indian stars, including Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal When it comes to Test batting.
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