Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who bagged his 29th five-wicket haul on Sunday, has suggested young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant needs a break from constant comparisons with the likes of MS Dhoni and Wriddhiman Saha.
Pant, who was dropped from the limited-overs sqaud for the tour of Australia, has been in sublime touch in Test cricket for India. After guiding India to a 2-1 win Down Under, Pant has continued his exploits in the ongoing Test series against England.
On Day 2 of the ongoing second Test, Pant scored an unbeaten 58* to guide India to a first-innings total of 329. On being asked about Pant’s recent purple patch, Ashwin said he felt for the youngster and suggested he should be given a break from constant comparisons.
“He was constantly compared with the great MS Dhoni for a long time. Now he gets compared for his wicket-keeping with (Wriddhiman) Saha, this that and all that, sometimes it’s just better to give a break and let people build on confidence,” Ashwin was quoted as saying by PTI.
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“With respect to Rishabh’s keeping, the name of the game is confidence right, he has been batting well, he has been working incredibly hard on his keeping as well,” the 34-year-old added.
The 23-year-old Pant has given a glimpse of his unmatched talent in the past few months, with improved performances with both bat and gloves. Ashwin has backed Pant to keep the gloves for India across all formats.
“And sometimes, when you are constantly being compared to someone who has done well for years, it can be really hard, I really do feel for Rishabh, on a lot of occasions, when I am watching games from home where he is playing the white-ball format,” Ashwin quipped.
“He has definitely got the ability, that is why he is here and I have no doubt he will go from strength to strength,” Ashwin added.