India's Test Veteran Shares A Blunt Verdict On Rishabh Pant Ahead of Lord's Test Says, 'He Is Not Adam Gilchrist...'

Ravichandran Ashwin shared his blunt verdict on Rishab Pant getting compared to Adam Gilchrist.

Credits - Twitter

India's Test captain Rishabh Pant has been in a stellar form in the two matches played of the five-match Test series against England. The hard hitting wicket-keeper scored 342 runs in the two matches with robust twin towns in first test at Headingley, Leeds. In the second test too he played very important knocks specially in the second innings running the game with his attacking intent powering India to a towering total. Despite such crucial contributions and being the best test batter overseas in last 4-5 years, Pant's former teammate and Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels Pant is yet to play from his full potential.

 "I would like to see Rishabh Pant achieve his potential. We want him to entertain us, but he can do that and show restraint when needed. Pant is not a newbie anymore. I want to benchmark Pant to his standards," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Ashwin specially talked about Pant's comparison with Australian Legend Adam Gilchrist giving a different take on the narrative.

 "He is a fabulous player. He is not Adam Gilchrist, many compare him to Gilchrist. He didn't have such a good defence. Pant has a high-quality defence. He should be compared with some of the best batters, not Gilchrist. Rishabh Pant can do Rishabh Pant things," Ashwin added.

Pantastic Form

Rishabh Pant boasts an impressive Test cricket record. At 27 years old, he recently overtook MS Dhoni to become the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman with the most Test centuries. In the 45 Tests he has played so far, Pant has amassed 3,290 runs, including eight centuries and sixteen half-centuries. He maintains a strong batting average of 44.45 in the format and is expected to be a key player for India in the remaining three matches of the ongoing series against England.

The third Test of India’s England tour is set to begin on July 10 at Lord’s. With the series tied at 1-1 after Shubman Gill and his teammates secured a dominant 336-run win over the hosts at Edgbaston, both sides will be eager to gain an advantage ahead of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.