Former Indian cricketer R Ashwin has claimed that wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant dislikes batting in the last seconds of a Test match. He related how Pant declined to bat in the final session of India’s 2022 trip of Bangladesh.
Ashwin revealed that Pant told then-head coach Rahul Dravid he wouldn’t step in towards the conclusion of the day’s play after India lost a few wickets while chasing a 145-run target in the fourth innings.
Speaking on his ‘Ash ki Baat’ YouTube channel, Ashwin stated:
He recalled that because of Pant’s resistance, bowler Jaydev Unadkat was deployed as a nightwatchman, and all-rounder Axar Patel had to be moved up in the batting order.
“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.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
In the last innings of India’s current Lord’s Test match against England, it is noteworthy that Pant did not bat at his typical No. 5 position. A 193-run goal was set after the hosts were bowled out for 192 in the final session.
Instead of Pant, the visitors assigned Akash Deep to No. 5 as a nightwatchman. According to Ashwin, he was aware that the wicketkeeper-batter would not bat.
On Day 5 of the Lord’s Test, he also underlined that he was interested in seeing how Pant will perform under duress.
“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.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
Meanwhile, India finished 58/4 at Stumps on Day 4. On 33, KL Rahul was still undefeated. To win, they need to score an additional 135 runs.
“The same thing happened there; Rishabh didn’t feel like going” – R Ashwin recalls an incident from IND vs NZ 2024 Tests
Ashwin included another instance in which Pant refused to bat in the closing minutes of the day in the same video. It happened in 2024 during the third Test of India’s home Test series against New Zealand, he said.
In the same video, Ashwin said that the Indian team management had to send Mohammed Siraj as a nightwatchman as a result:
“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.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
In the five-match Test series against England, Pant has been in outstanding form, scoring 416 runs at an average of 83.20 over five innings. In the first innings of the continuing Lord’s Test, he scored an incredible 74 runs before being run out.
