Rishabh Pant vs MS Dhoni: Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has advised Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant to avoid doing his handspring celebration during Test matches. He said that playing five long days of Test cricket is very tiring, and such stunts can put extra strain on the body. The handspring has become Pant’s signature move since his comeback after a serious car accident in December 2022.
R Ashwin Cautions Rishabh Pant Against Handspring Celebrations
Ashwin also said that Pant should be compared to Virat Kohli instead of MS Dhoni, because Dhoni usually batted lower down the order, while Pant bats as high as number 5. Pant scored two centuries in the first Test at Leeds recently, but India still lost the match by 5 wickets.
“… Rishabh Pant should be compared with the likes of Virat Kohli…He is a mainstream batter. Because he has got so much time….some of these special batters have that knack of picking the ball early. They pick the line quickly, pick the length quickly and they get into lovely positions. Rishabh Pant is one of those rare players who has got that special skill,” he said on his YouTube Channel Ash Ki Baat.
“I’ve only one request, please don’t do that front flip. In Tests, your body gets tired unlike in IPL where you will not play more than 50-60 balls. He is a bona fide top batter in the Indian lineup. So he has nothing to prove,” Ashwin added.
In the match, Rishabh Pant became only the second wicketkeeper in cricket history to score a century in both innings of a Test match. The only other player to do this was Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower, who made scores of 142 and 199 not out against South Africa in Harare in 2001.
Praising Pant’s two centuries as a special achievement, Ashwin said that Pant should try to build on this performance and keep improving.
“Rishabh has had a fabulous game as a batter. But I would like to repeat that Rishabh has got a great defence. There is not one shot in the book that he cannot play… Can I request you to make a double 100 next time when you’re batting at 130? Because, you know that lower order doesn’t mean more contribution. So, in your situation, I request you to please take the team to the last day,” he said.
Rishabh Pant vs MS Dhoni: A Different Kind of Comparison
Speaking on his YouTube show ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ashwin praised Pant’s rare achievement and said that he is in a league of his own. He explained the difference by saying, “MS Dhoni was a keeper-batter, while Pant is a batter-keeper. There’s a big difference,” Ashwin said. “Pant is a specialist batter playing at No. 5 – that’s a slot reserved for your best batsmen. Dhoni never batted that high in Tests.”
Ashwin believes that instead of seeing Rishabh Pant as Dhoni’s successor, the Delhi-born wicketkeeper should be compared with top-level batters like Virat Kohli and Inzamam-ul-Haq. “Rishabh should be in the conversation with elite batters,” Ashwin said. “When you see him face fast bowlers, the time he has to play his shots – be it a slog sweep or late scoop – it’s extraordinary.”
Ashwin compared Pant’s calm approach against fast bowling to that of Inzamam, referencing a famous quote from Imran Khan during the 1992 World Cup: “Wasim Akram is bowling so fast, but Inzamam looks like he’s playing in slow motion.” He added, “That’s a trait Pant has – the ability to pick up bowlers early, and dictate terms.”
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