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R Ashwin lauded Rishabh Pant's twin tons in the Headingley Test vs England but urged him to convert such knocks into double centuries. Despite Pant's brilliance, India lost, and Ashwin hopes for a stronger show in the Edgbaston Test.
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has made a plea to newly-appointed vice-captain Rishabh Pant ahead of the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Edgbaston in Birmingham, starting on July 2.
Rishabh Pant was in brilliant form in the recently concluded first Test against England. The 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter scored a century in each innings of the Headingley Test. In the first innings, Pant played a knock of 134 off 178 balls, followed by 118 off 140 balls in the second innings. With this, he became the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter and the second after former Zimbabwe cricketer Andy Flower to score twin centuries in a Test match.
However, Rishabh Pant’s heroics with the bat were not enough as Team India lost the match by five wickets against England at Headingley in Leeds. The series opener witnessed four Indian players scoring a total of five centuries, but collective bowling failure in the second innings as England chased down a 371-run target in 82 overs on the final day.
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Ashwin lauds Rishabh Pant’s defence
Speaking on his YouTube channel, ‘Ash Ki Baat’, Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Rishabh Pant as a ‘fabulous batter’, adding that he has all shots in the playbook.
“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,” the 38-year-old said.
In the first innings and second innings, Rishabh Pant displayed his maturity and caution while choosing his attacking moments wisely. He blended his natural flair with solid defence to notch up two impactful centuries under pressure.
In the first innings, Pant smashed a six off Shoaib Bashir’s delivery to complete a century while batting on 99, and in the second innings, he got off a single to get to his second ton of the match, drawing applause from the Headingley crowd and his teammates in the dressing room. In both innings, Rishabh Pant played with a mix of aggression and temperament, frustrating the England bowlers with fearless strokeplay and calculated risks.
‘Make a double hundred next time’
Further speaking about Rishabh Pant’s batting, Ravichandran Ashwin stated that if he were Gautam Gambhir or Shubman Gill, he would have asked the vice-captain to convert those centuries into double centuries and urged him to do so in the Edgbaston Test.
“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).” the retired India cricketer said.
“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?' That is the only request I would make of Rishabh,” he added.
After the Headingley Test defeat, Team India will look to come back in the second Test at Edgbaston, which will take on July 2.
 "Hrishikesh Damodar")