Former Indian cricketer R Ashwin revealed that Rishabh Pant prefers not to bat in the closing stages of a day’s play in Test matches. Sharing an incident from India’s 2022 tour of Bangladesh, Ashwin recounted how Pant declined to bat late in the day during a tense chase.
According to Ashwin, India was chasing 145 in the fourth innings when they lost a few quick wickets. At that point, Pant informed then-head coach Rahul Dravid that he didn’t want to bat before stumps. As a result, Axar Patel was promoted up the order, and Jaydev Unadkat was sent in as a nightwatchman.
Ravichandran Ashwin shared the anecdote on his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat, starting (around 13:06):
“After a couple of wickets fell, Rishabh told Rahul bhai, ‘Main nahi jaa raha hoon aaj raat’. Half an hour or 45 minutes were still left at the time, but he said he would not go and went inside. Axar Patel and Jaydev Unadkat were sent in after wickets fell. Rishabh doesn’t like to bat in the last 20-30 minutes.”
Akash Deep Replaces Pant at No. 5 in Final Innings
Notably, Rishabh Pant did not take his usual No. 5 spot in the final innings of the ongoing Lord’s Test against England. After England were dismissed for 192 in the final session, India was set a target of 193 runs. Instead of sending Pant, the team sent Akash Deep in as a nightwatchman at No. 5.
R Ashwin remarked that he wasn’t surprised by this move, hinting that he expected Pant to avoid batting late in the day. He also mentioned his curiosity about how Pant would handle the pressure when he eventually bats on Day 5.
“I was about to tweet that ‘Rishabh is not going to walk out in the last 20 minutes’. He is not always ready to come in. India were chasing an impossible score at Gabba; they were looking at a 360-odd chase. Rishabh came out and played his game and took the bowlers to the cleaners.”
“Gabba’s pride was broken, that all is fine. But with the skill Rishabh has, I want to watch how he handles the pressure tomorrow because this Test is not about making runs or playing shots,” he remarked (from 4:02).”
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