"He’s got one of the best defences": Ashwin hails Indian player despite his ordinary performances in five-Test series against Australia

Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has lauded Rishabh Pant despite his ordinary performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The wicker-keeper batter scored 255 runs at an average of 28.33.

He amassed just one fifty in nine innings despite getting good starts. However, Pant showcased his versatility in the fifth contest at Sydney Cricket Ground with 40 runs off 98 balls and 61 runs off 33 deliveries in the first and second innings, respectively.

“Rishabh Pant doesn’t get out playing a defensive shot. He’s got one of the best defences in the world. Defence is a challenging aspect of the game and he has the best defence with soft hands. I have bowled to him and I can tell you that his defence is perfect. Pant plays a lot of shots and many feel that he has to fight it out in red-ball cricket,” he said.

“Test cricket is never easy and you have to fight it out. He played two different knocks in Sydney. He scored 40 runs in the first innings and was hit everywhere. It was the least spoken innings of his and its unfair. In the second innings, he scored a sensational fifty and was praised by everyone. Everyone forgot what he did in the first innings and praised him for his second knock,” he added.

Ashwin has played with Pant for several years and the veteran recently retired from international cricket. Pant has almost scored 3000 Test runs at an average of 42 in 43 outings.

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