Rishabh Pant's yet another freak Test hundred on Day Four of the first Test against England in Leeds has got everyone talking. The southpaw's (118) has put India in the driver's seat as they aim to start the England Tour on a winning note. However, the wicketkeeper-batter's eighth Test hundred has not gone too well with cricketer-turned-expert Ravi Ashwin.
The former India off-spinner, who has first-hand experience of Pant's carnage in red-ball format, has decoded the madness about his mindset while going about his business in Tests. Speaking on his official X handle, the legendary spinner admitted that while the southpaw's fireworks are entertaining for fans, it is totally a different story inside the Indian team.
"His modus operandi has always been up for questioning," Ashwin said, aiming for Pant’s wild shot selection. “Against Brydon Carse, he played a slog sweep which did not seem like percentage cricket… very questionable tactics, but that’s the way he’s been going about his business.”
For the unversed, Rishabh Pant did not positively start his innings, as there were a lot of plays and misses missed. The wicketkeeper-batter slowly got into the groove and batted with confidence later after spending some time at the crease. The vice-captain also started playing his famous outrageous shots, a highlight being a slog sweep against fast bowler Carse. However, another scoop ended in an LBW shout and a waste review by the England team.
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Rishabh Pant might be reckless, but he always delivers when it matters most: Ashwin
The expert further stated that while Pant's methods are reckless at times, he always delivers whenever the team needs him most to score.
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“If he's going to take the sword, might as well judge him by the performances and not by how he does it,” Ashwin said. “As a fan, I am enjoying it. But it could be very nervy sitting in the dressing room if you are a coach… it could be really, really tense.”
Pant's phenomenal 118 off just 140 balls also was historic as he became the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter to score twin centuries in an innings. He is also only the second to do in the world after Andy Flower did in 2001 against South Africa in Harare.
