Rishabh Pant’s return to Test cricket has been anything but quiet. With two blazing centuries at Headingley, 134 in the first innings and 118 in the second, the southpaw reminded everyone why he’s still India’s most unpredictable match-winner with the bat.
But even while his performance had fans singing, India lost out. England wrapped up a five-wicket victory, and Pant's dismissals in both innings sparked collapses that proved too costly.
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And now, before the second Test at Edgbaston, it's back on Pant, this time courtesy of a teasing push from R Ashwin. The veteran spinner had high praise for the keeper-batter’s shotmaking but also dropped a cheeky challenge for him: how about turning those hundreds into double centuries?
Ashwin urges Pant to aim bigger; India eye changes after Headingley loss
Speaking on his YouTube show Ash Ki Baat, Ashwin said, “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.”
He continued with a light-hearted note aimed at India’s team leadership, “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, what an amazing innings you played)... But can I request you to make a double hundred next time when you’re batting on 130?”
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Meanwhile, India are expected to tweak their XI for the Edgbaston Test. Karun Nair struggled for runs, Jadeja looked off-color, and the lower order didn’t offer much resistance.
With Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, and Siraj failing to contribute with the bat, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, and Arshdeep Singh are all being considered as potential reinforcements.