The one-off Test India played against Afghanistan produced several encouraging performances, but one particular batting effort became a major talking point after the match. While the innings earned widespread praise for its quality and impact, former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin offered a mixed assessment.
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the Test, Ashwin applauded the batter’s immense talent and even made a bold claim about his standing in India’s current Test setup. However, the former spinner also questioned the decision-making that prevented the innings from turning into an even bigger contribution for the team.
Ravichandran Ashwin calls Indian batter the country’s best Test player
Ashwin reserved high praise for Rishabh Pant, describing him as India’s best batter in Test cricket. However, the veteran spinner admitted he was disappointed to see Pant miss out on a century after once again getting into the 80s. According to Ashwin, Pant possesses all the qualities required to dominate red-ball cricket and is the best batter in the Test format.
“You’ve got out so many times in the 80s and 90s. It’s impossible to discover such a great Test batter. But playing such a shot on 80 is mind-boggling. Having come to 80, can’t you play for another 20 runs?” Ashwin said.
He pointed out that the wicketkeeper-batter has been dismissed in the 80s and 90s on multiple occasions despite looking completely in control at the crease. The former India all-rounder further stated that Pant’s statistics could have been significantly better had he converted more of these promising knocks into centuries.
Former spinner unhappy with another missed century
Ashwin also revealed that he has personally spoken to Pant several times about the importance of managing situations better in Test cricket. While acknowledging that every batter makes mistakes, he felt the wicketkeeper-batter now has enough experience to understand when to curb his attacking instincts.
“Especially when so many have told you that it’s a mistake and to still keep doing it, I am not okay with that. He has played more than 50 Tests now. So he needs to start playing the situation for the team on many occasions. He’s actually the best Test batter. When he defends, it’s so good that even Gavaskar is impressed. When he defends, the ball literally pleads if it can move off the square to him,” Ashwin explained.
The 39-year-old stressed that Test cricket is often about balancing aggression with game awareness and suggested that Pant’s shot selection at key moments has occasionally cost India valuable opportunities. Despite the criticism, Ashwin made it clear that he remains one of Pant’s biggest admirers in the red-ball format. He even placed the wicketkeeper-batter above several established Indian stars, including Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal when it comes to Test batting.
Also WATCH: Mohammed Siraj traps Abdul Malik LBW with a peach on Day 3 of IND vs AFG one-off Test
