“He’s got one of the best defenses in world cricket” – Ravichandran Ashwin praises Team India after BGT 2024-25

Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant’s defensive style after the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Pant endured an inconsistent series with the bat, scoring just 255 runs at an average of 28.33.

The southpaw scored just half-centuries in nine innings despite making strong starts on several occasions. yet, Pant He showed his versatility in the final Test in Sydney with a 98-ball 40 and a 33-ball 61 in the first and second innings, respectively, on a very difficult wicket.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin praised Pant’s defensive skills and felt his first 40 had unfairly flown under the radar amid his second-half attack.

“We have to realize that Rishabh Pant rarely comes out to play defence. He has one of the best defenses in world cricket. Defense has become a tough side, he has the best defense with a soft hand. I bowled him a lot in the nets, he didn’t get out, he didn’t get An advantage, he doesn’t get LBW, he has the best defence. I tried to tell him that. One opinion about Rishabh is that he plays a lot of shots. He has to fight in Test cricket,” he said.

Ashwin added:

“I’ve always grown up hearing you bat. In Sydney, he played two different knocks in one match. He was batted all over the place and scored 40. This will be the least spoken innings for Rishabh Pant. It’s very impressive in the second innings. He scored a fifty, which earned him Lots of praise.

Ashwin He played with Pant in the India team for several years and recently retired midway through the Australian series.

Meanwhile, Pant boasts impressive Test numbers with nearly 3,000 runs at an average of over 42 in 43 outings.

“Rishabh Pant is yet to achieve his full potential” – Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin believes Rishabh Pant is still realizing his full potential with the bat. He called on the wicket-keeper to work on finding the ideal balance between defense and attack.

Despite his many heroic efforts in the past, Pant was heavily criticized for his untimely dismissal while playing rash shots during the Australian series.

“We have to tell him properly what to do if he has to bat with power or bat with intent. He has not scored a lot of runs, but he has not played like someone without runs. He has a lot of time. On his hands, Rishabh Pant is yet to achieve,” Ashwin said. “His full potential.”

He concluded:

“He has all the shots – reverse sweep, uphill sweep, everything – but the problem is that all of those shots are high-risk shots. With his defence, he will definitely score runs every game if he faces 200 balls. The point is to find that middle game if he puts it all together.” He will score 100 points in every match.

Pant played a big role in India Back-to-back Test series wins in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21.

However, his appearance is substandard in The last series It meant India suffered a 1-3 defeat to hand the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia.