Published 22:00 IST, February 14th 2021
'Rishabh Pant needs to be given a break from comparisons with MS Dhoni, Saha': Ashwin
Speaking at the end of play on Day 2 of the second Test, Ashwin remarked that Pant needs to be given time to play to his strengths to help him build confidence
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With Rishabh Pant seeming to have found his form in Test cricket, India's ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed that the youngster needs to be a given a 'break' from constant comparisons. Speaking at the end of play on Day 2 of the ongoing second Test, Ashwin remarked that Pant needs to be given time to play to his strengths to help him his build confidence. The youngster had come under intense scrutiny after failing to have filled the shoes of former India wicketkeeper MS Dhoni, leading to him being benched for several matches until he found his stride in Australia recently.
"He was constantly compared with the great MS Dhoni for a long time. Now he gets compared for his wicket-keeping with (Wriddhiman) Saha, this that and all that, sometimes it's just better to give a break and let people build on confidence," Ashwin said on Sunday.
Ever since helping India retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia recently, Rishabh Pant has excelled in all departments of the game. The young gun played brilliant innings of 90-odd runs in the first Test against England which India lost and also notched up a quickfire 50 in the second Test as wickets kept falling from the other end. On the second day of the second game, Pant grabbed two stunning catches as England's batting line-up collapsed like a house of cards.
"With respect to Rishabh's keeping, the name of the game is confidence right, he has been batting well, he has been working incredibly hard on his keeping as well...And sometimes, when you are constantly being compared to someone who has done well for years, it can be really hard, I really do feel for Rishabh, on a lot of occasions, when I am watching games from home where he is playing the white-ball format," Ashwin added.
Speaking of the noise of the turning pitch at the Chepauk, Ashwin said that he has not heard any current English player complaining about the wickets."I don't not know if they have complaints in the first place, so if they do, I mean it is quite natural for people to come up against adverse conditions and then take (backward)...In all honestly the seven days of Test cricket we have played so far, England played really well, competed really well, I haven't seen any of them complaining anything like that," Ashwin said.
Ashwin bags another fifer
With the new ball in hand on the morning of Day 2, Ravi Ashwin ensured that he made the most of it by making the ball talk on a raging turner after India had posted a stiff total of 329 batting first. He asked tough questions to the English batsmen on a deteriorating surface as they were left clueless. The senior spinner accounted for the likes of opener Dom Sibley, number three batsman Dan Lawrence, middle-order batsman Ben Stokes, tail-enders Olly Stone, Jack Leach and, Stuart Broad to complete his five-wicket haul.
22:00 IST, February 14th 2021