India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant has made an excellent start to the Test series against England when it comes to his form with the bat. Pant has slammed 342 runs in two Tests, bringing out his whole range of extravagant shots against the English attack. However, despite becoming the first-ever Asian wicket-keeper to score two double centuries in the same Test in England, Pant's former India teammate Ravichandran Ashwin has demanded more from him, particularly stating that he show more restraint when it comes to his strokeplay.
"I would like to see Rishabh Pant achieve his potential. We want him to entertain us, but he can do that and show restraint when needed," said Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube channel.
"Pant is not a newbie anymore. I want to benchmark Pant to his standards," Ashwin added.
After 45 Tests, Pant averages a remarkable 44.45 with the bat, having already become the Indian wicket-keeper batter with the most Test hundreds.
Given his excellent record and his ability to bat at a high strike-rate, Pant has often been compared to former Australia wicket-keeping great Adam Gilchrist.
However, Ashwin believes that Pant should not be compared to Gilchrist as the Indian's standard as a batter is higher than the Australian legend.
"He is a fabulous player. He is not Adam Gilchrist, many compare him to Gilchrist. He didn't have such a good defence. Pant has a high-quality defence. He should be compared with some of the best batters, not Gilchrist," Ashwin explained.
"Rishabh Pant can do Rishabh Pant things," Ashwin further stated.
Meanwhile, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak dismissed the notion that Pant was an intuitive player, which is apparent in his risky shot selection.
“Rishabh actually talks a lot about what he does with the bat, when he does, why he does it with me. He is someone who doesn't like talking too much during his inning because he feels that that changes his mindset, and he takes the wrong decision,” Kotak added.
Pant is currently the third-highest run-scorer in the series with 342 runs, including two centuries. Gill leads the batting chart for India. He started the series with his maiden century in England and as captain in the first Test before hammering a double hundred and a 150 in the second innings at Edgbaston.
With IANS inputs