R. Ashwin Urges Pant to Target Double Centuries, Cites Gambhir's Influence After Test Loss to England

Former Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has urged Team India coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill to mentor Rishabh Pant, encouraging him to aim for double centuries after his impressive performance in the first Test against England. The second Test is scheduled to begin on July 2 in Birmingham.

Pant showcased his batting prowess in Leeds, scoring centuries in both innings. However, his efforts weren't enough to secure a victory for India, as they lost the Test by five wickets.

Ashwin Praises Pant's Batting

"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," Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat.

The Call for Double Centuries

Ashwin suggested that Pant should focus on converting his centuries into double centuries. He emphasized the importance of this conversion, given the potential struggles of the lower order.

"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). 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?" said Ashwin.

He further added, "You know we won’t get much contribution from the lower order, so please take the team to the last wicket. But what a fabulous batsman, what a fabulous cricketer, what a talented player."

Gambhir's Focus on Team Results

India head coach Gautam Gambhir, when questioned about the positives from the first Test loss to England, did not seem inclined to focus solely on individual brilliance, such as Pant’s centuries. He stressed the importance of overall team results.

Gambhir responded to a question about Pant's efforts by saying, "There are three more centuries as well. Those are big positives too. Thank you."

When further pressed on the overall positives, Gambhir added, "I would have liked if you said there was a hundred from Yashasvi (Jaiswal), a hundred from Shubman (Gill) on debut as captain, a hundred from KL (Rahul), and two centuries from Rishabh. So, five centuries in a Test match is a great start, to be honest. And hopefully, the question could have been better."