Rishabh Pant has long been known for his aggressive, attacking style of batting. Known for taking on bowlers regardless of the format, Pant’s fearless approach has often paid dividends, providing India with quick runs when they are needed the most. While his aggressive play has sometimes led to criticism, with some saying he “throws away his wicket,” it’s clear that Pant’s attacking nature is part of his game that has often been a strength for India.
In a recent revelation, Ravichandran Ashwin, the now-retired Indian cricketer, shed new light on Pant’s skills, especially regarding his defence. According to Ashwin, Pant has “one of the best defences in world cricket.” This comment came from Ashwin’s own experiences of bowling to Pant in net sessions.
Ashwin went on to explain that despite Pant’s reputation for aggressive stroke play, he rarely gets out while playing defensively. “He has the best defense with a soft hand. I’ve bowled to him a lot in the nets, and he doesn’t get out, he doesn’t get an edge, he doesn’t get LBW. His defense is exceptional,” Ashwin shared on his YouTube channel.
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Ravichandran Ashwin further commented on Pant’s untapped potential, explaining that while the young wicketkeeper-batter has not scored as many runs as expected, he has the ability to do so. “Rishabh Pant is yet to realize his fullest potential,” Ashwin said. He added that Pant has not been scoring poorly because of lack of ability but rather because of a need to find a balance in his game between playing solidly and with intent.
Ashwin highlighted that Pant possesses a wide range of shots in his arsenal, such as the reverse-sweep and slog-sweep, but pointed out that these high-risk shots might not be the key to consistent scoring.
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Instead, Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Pant’s defence is crucial for long-term success. If Pant could focus on combining his attacking shots with a solid defence, he could easily score runs consistently, even accumulating 100 runs every game. “He has all the shots, but if he focuses on his defence and bats longer periods, he will score every game,” Ashwin concluded.
Pant has been a regular fixture for India in Test cricket, having scored 2,948 runs at an average of 42.11. His fearless batting, when combined with an improved defensive technique, could elevate his game to new heights.
