Rishabh Pant invokes all kinds of reactions in his admirers. Like Ravichandran Ashwin, who thinks that if the keeper-batter has to be compared, it has to be with the likes of Virat Kohli and Inzamam-ul Haq, and not with Mahendra Singh Dhoni like people usually do. He has his reasons for that.

“...Rishabh Pant should be compared with the likes of Virat Kohli... He is a mainstream batter. Because he has got so much time,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.

What he means is that Pant, unlike Dhoni, gets to bat higher up the batting order.

“...some of these special batters have that knack of picking the ball early.
They pick the line quickly, pick the length quickly and they get into lovely positions. Rishabh Pant is one of those rare players who has got that special skill.”

Praising Pant’s centuries in the Leeds Test, Ashwin requested the 27-year-old to try and convert them to double hundreds.

“Rishabh has had a fabulous game as a batter. But I would like to repeat that Rishabh has got a great defence. There is not one shot in the book that he cannot play...

“Can I request you to make a double hundred next time when you’re batting at 130? Because, you know, that lower order doesn’t mean more contribution. So, in your situation, I request you to please take the team to the last day.”

Ashwin also wants Pant to restrain himself from doing his acrobatic flips as a celebration after scoring a hundred.

“I’ve only one request, please don’t do that front flip. In Tests, your body gets tired unlike in the IPL where you will not play more than 50-60 balls. He is a bona fide top batter in the Indian line-up. So he has nothing to prove,” advised the former India off-spinner.