Former Indian cricketer Ashwin weighs in on comparing MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant in Test cricket, saying MS Dhoni never batted at number 5. Ravi Ashwin, who reviewed the 1st Test on his YouTube show ‘ASH KI BAAT,’ highlighted Pant’s contribution and shared insights on how to use the wicket-keeper batter more effectively in the middle order.
Ravi Ashwin Praises Rishabh Pant’s Batting
Ashwin, a big fan of Rishabh Pant’s batting in Test cricket, said Pant plays all the shots in the book, from perfect defence to unorthodox strokes. He praised Pant’s ability to execute them flawlessly.
“Rishabh had a fantastic game, but I would like to repeat that he has a great defence. There isn’t even one shot in the book that he cannot play,” said Ashwin.
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Moreover, Ashwin applauded Pant’s twin centuries in the 1st match and spoke about his conversion rate. He said if he were Gautam Gambhir, he would ask Pant to convert his innings into a double hundred, as the lower order is not very stable:
“I sometimes feel if I was Gautam Gambhir, I would take him aside and say, ‘You played exceptionally well, and I would have loved to bat with you because of your ability. But can I request you to make a double hundred next time when you are batting at 130, because the lower order cannot contribute much? That would be the only request I would make of Rishabh. What a talented player,” said Ashwin.
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Ravi Ashwin on Why Comparing MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant Isn’t Fair
Rishabh Pant, with his twin centuries, broke several records, becoming the first Asian batter to score twin centuries in Test cricket and surpassing MS Dhoni’s number of Test centuries. Pant stood his ground in the match.
Following this, fans started comparing him with MS Dhoni in Test cricket. Ashwin added his opinion, asking fans not to compare the two, highlighting Dhoni’s batting position and calling Dhoni a ‘keeper-batter’ and Pant a ‘batter-keeper’ — a new term from Ashwin’s dictionary.
“Comparing MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant is not fair. MS Dhoni never batted at No.5. MS Dhoni was a keeper-batter, and I would say Pant is a batter-keeper. There are a lot of differences there,” said Ashwin.
Meanwhile, he said Rishabh Pant should be compared with Virat Kohli for his consistent runs in Test cricket:
“Rishabh Pant should be compared with the likes of Virat Kohli. He is a main batter. Look at the time and skill Pant has when batting, especially against pacers,” he concluded.
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