Former India captain Ravichandran Ashwin praised Rishabh Pant’s defensive style after completing the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Pant endured an inconsistent series with the bat, scoring just 255 runs at an average of 28.33.

The southpaw managed just one run in nine innings despite a couple of strong starts. However, Pants showed his versatility in the last Test in Sydney with 98-ball 40 and 33-ball 61 in the first and second innings, respectively, on a very difficult wicket.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin praised Pant’s defensive skills and noted that his first 40 flew unfairly under the radar amid his second-round attack.

“We have to realize that Rishabh Pant usually doesn’t come out to play defence. He has one of the best defenses in international cricket. Defense has been tough, he has a very good defense and a soft hand. I have shot him a lot. He doesn’t get out, he doesn’t get boundaries, he doesn’t get LBW, he has a very good defense, I tried to tell Rishabh that he plays a lot of shots, he has to fight against them in Test cricket,” he said.

Ashwin added:

“I’ve always grown up feeling that you’ve struggled with it. In Sydney, he played two different knocks in one match. He hit everywhere and scored 40, it’s going to be Rishabh Pant’s most silent innings. It’s very difficult. unfairly. In the second innings, he got a fine of fifty, which earned him a lot of respect.

Ashwin he played with Pant in Team India for several years and recently retired in the middle of the Australian series.

Meanwhile, Pant has impressive test statistics with nearly 3,000 runs at an average of over 42 in 43 outings.

“Rishabh Pant didn’t realize his potential” – Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Rishabh Pant is yet to realize his full potential with the bat. He asked the wicketkeepers to try to strike a balance between defense and attack.

Despite his several efforts in the past, Pant has been heavily criticized for being dismissed unexpectedly while playing the fast bowler in the Australian game.

“We have to tell him clearly what he has to do whether he has to hit hard or hit with a target. He didn’t score much, but he didn’t play like a man without runs. He has a lot of time in his hands. Rishabh Pant didn’t realize his full potential,” said Ashwin.

He concluded as follows:

“He’s got all the threats – the sweep, the sweep, everything – but the problem is that all those shots are dangerous shots. Because of his defense, he’ll score every game if he faces 200 balls. The point is, when that middle game puts it all together, he’s going to score runs. 100 for every average game.

Pant played a major role in the India of back-to-back Test series wins for Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21.

However, its appearance is small in this case in the near future It means that India lost 1-3 to hand the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia.