Ashwin Urges Pant to Chase Double Centuries, Cites Gambhir's Guidance After Leeds Test Loss

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. This advice comes ahead of the second Test against England, scheduled to begin in Birmingham on July 2nd.

Rishabh Pant celebrates his century against England.

Pant's Performance in Leeds

In the recent match in Leeds, Rishabh Pant showcased his batting prowess by scoring centuries in both innings. Despite his outstanding performance, India suffered a five-wicket defeat.

Ashwin's Analysis

"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.

"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 Perspective

India head coach Gautam Gambhir appeared less focused on individual achievements, even Pant's twin centuries. When questioned about the positives from the Test loss, he emphasized the importance of results, which the team failed to achieve.

Gambhir's Response

Known for his directness, Gambhir responded tersely to a question about Pant's efforts.

"There are three more centuries as well. Those are big positives too. Thank you," he stated.

When further pressed about the positives, Gambhir elaborated, "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."