CHENNAI, Feb 14: Give Rishabh Pant a “break” from constant comparisons and let him go from strength to strength, his senior India teammate Ravichandran Ashiwn suggested on Sunday.
Be it for his keeping or batting, be it with one of India’s greatest or any other player, Pant needs a break from all sorts of comparisons, expressed Ashiwn, who has been keeping the young stumper on his toes with deliveries that look like fetching their team wickets every now and then.
“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 said.
The seasoned off-spinner was speaking at the end of the second day’s play in the second Test between India and England, during which he collected his 29th five-for in Test cricket.
On his swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman, Ashwin continued, “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…”
“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 occasions, when I am watching games from home where he is playing the white-ball format.”
“He has definitely got the ability, that is why he is here and I have no doubt he will go from strength to strength.”
After playing a key role in India’s incredible series win in Australia last month, Pant said the comparisons with Dhoni are flattering but added he wants to carve his own identity in the game.
Ashwin has now dismissed more left-handers than anyone else in Test cricket and though he admitted bowling to southpaws is an advantage for off-spinners, he said he has been working on a lot of aspects in recent years.
On Sunday, he became the first bowler to dismiss 200 left-handers in Test cricket.
There has been a lot of chatter about the rank turner used for the second match at Chepauk but Ashwin said he has not heard any current English player complaining about the wickets.
“I don’t not know if they have complaints in the first place, so if they do, I mean it is quite natural for people to come up against adverse conditions and then take (backward)…”
“But time and again there are conditions which will challenge you be it spin or with seam.”
He said it is always a tougher proposition to bat against top-class fast bowlers on seaming and bouncy conditions.
Ashwin was delighted to have got a five-wicket haul — his 29th overall — at his home ground and in front of spectators. (PTI)
