Former Indian spinner R Ashwin revealed that India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant doesn’t like batting in the final moments of a day’s play in Test cricket as well. He also shared a story from India’s tour of Bangladesh in 2022, where Rishabh Pant refused to go out to bat in the last session as well. He recalled that Axar Patel had to be promoted in the batting order, while pacer Jaydev Unadkat was sent as a nightwatchman due to that as well.

Speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ashwin said: “After a couple of wickets fell, Rishabh told Rahul bhai, ‘Main nahi jaa raha hoon aaj raat’. Half an hour or 45 minutes were still left at the time, but he said he would not go and went inside. Axar Patel and Jaydev Unadkat were sent in after wickets fell. Rishabh doesn’t like to bat in the last 20-30 minutes.”

He also said that he wanted to see how Rishabh Pant would play under pressure on Day 5 of the Lord’s Test.

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“I was about to tweet that ‘Rishabh is not going to walk out in the last 20 minutes’. He is not always ready to come in. India were chasing an impossible score at Gabba; they were looking at a 360-odd chase. Rishabh came out and played his game and took the bowlers to the cleaners. Gabba’s pride was broken, that all is fine. But with the skill Rishabh has, I want to watch how he handles the pressure tomorrow because this Test is not about making runs or playing shots,” he said.

However, saying that the Indian team management had to send Mohammed Siraj as a nightwatchman because of that, R Ashwin shared his views on that as well.

“When we were playing against New Zealand recently, Virat Kohli had gone out to bat. The same thing happened there; Rishabh didn’t feel like going. Siraj was sent, but he got out, and ultimately, a batter had to go in,” R Ashwin concluded.