Ashwin to Pant: 50 Tests played, now do it for the team

Referring to Pant’s dismissal after reaching 80 against Afghanistan, Ashwin said the wicketkeeper had already done the hard work of building an innings.

“You got to 80. Didn’t you think, ‘I’ve come this far, let me get home’? It’s like driving 300 kilometres and then jumping off a mountain when there are only 20 kilometres left,” he said.

Ashwin was equally emphatic about Pant’s batting ability, describing him as one of the most gifted Test batters in the game.

“When he defends, it is like Gavaskar himself has come and batted. He has so much time. He can play any shot he wants,” Ashwin said.

The former off-spinner said Test cricket is ultimately about playing percentages and choosing the option that offers the greatest chance of success.

“When fielders are stationed on the boundary and you still try to clear them, that is not playing percentages,” he said.

Ashwin cited previous examples from Johannesburg and Chennai, saying Pant had at times missed opportunities to take greater responsibility despite being in positions to influence the outcome of matches.

Recalling the Test in Chennai against England, Ashwin said Pant was batting in the 90s with boundary riders spread across the field but still opted for an attacking stroke that led to his dismissal.

“If he had stayed there for another 50 runs, we might have won,” Ashwin said.

While acknowledging that every batter makes mistakes, Ashwin said Pant now has enough experience to put the team’s requirements ahead of impulse.

“Everyone makes mistakes. But when the same mistake keeps happening after people point it out, I am not okay with that. He has played 50 Test matches now. He needs to start doing it for the team,” he said.

Pant made 80 against Afghanistan before falling short of a century, prompting Ashwin to once again call on the wicketkeeper-batter to convert promising starts into match-defining innings.