Ashwin Urges Mentorship for Pant: Double Centuries Next, Says Ex-Spinner to Gambhir & Gill

Former Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has urged Team India coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill to mentor Rishabh Pant, encouraging him to convert his centuries into double centuries, ahead of the second Test against England in Birmingham, starting July 2nd.

Rishabh Pant celebrates a century against England.

Rishabh Pant showcased remarkable form in Leeds, scoring centuries in both innings. However, his stellar performance wasn't enough to secure a victory, as India lost the Test by five wickets.

"Rishabh had a fabulous game as a batter. I would like to repeat that Rishabh has got a great defence. There is not a single shot in the book that he cannot play," Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat.

Ashwin believes that Pant has the potential to achieve even greater feats.

"I sometimes feel if I were Gautam Gambhir or Shubman Gill, I would take Rishabh Pant aside and say, ‘Bhai, tune kya batting kiya hai, kamaal ka batting kiya tune’ (Brother, you’ve batted brilliantly). I would love to be a batter with the kind of ability you have. But can I request you to make a double hundred next time when you're batting on 130?" said Ashwin.

He further added, "You know we won’t get much contribution from the lower order, so please take the team to the last wicket. But what a fabulous batsman, what a fabulous cricketer, what a talented player."

However, India head coach Gautam Gambhir appeared less inclined to focus on individual brilliance, such as Pant’s twin hundreds, when questioned about the positives from the opening Test loss to England, emphasizing that results are paramount and his team fell short.

Known for his directness, Gambhir responded bluntly to a question about Pant’s efforts, which ultimately didn't lead to an Indian victory.

"There are three more centuries as well. Those are big positives too. Thank you," was his brief response to the question about Pant.

When pressed further on the overall positives, Gambhir said, "I would have liked if you said there was a hundred from Yashasvi (Jaiswal), a hundred from Shubman (Gill) on debut as captain, a hundred from KL (Rahul), and two centuries from Rishabh. So, five centuries in a Test match is a great start, to be honest. And hopefully, the question could have been better," he added.