'His decision-making is why he doesn't play all formats for India' - Furious R Ashwin slams Rishabh Pant's shot selection

'His decision-making is why he doesn't play all formats for India' - Furious R Ashwin slams Rishabh Pant's shot selection originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

R Ashwin criticised India star Rishabh Pant's shot selection despite scoring 168 runs in Sri Lanka.

Former spinner cites Australia's 2021 win, credits Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar equally.

Ashwin says the "once-in-a-generation" tag shields Pant from real accountability.

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R Ashwin blasts Rishabh Pant's shot selection after Sri Lanka tour

Rishabh Pant walked away from India's two-Test tour of Sri Lanka with 168 runs and a couple of fifties to show for it. On paper, that's a decent outing for a keeper-batter under pressure to justify his selection. But former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin isn't buying it, and he's made that pretty clear.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat', Ashwin went in hard on Pant's approach at the crease during the series.

He argued that even though the runs are there, something's still missing. He didn't hold back on comparing the risk Pant takes with the actual value it adds for the team.

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"My expectation from Rishabh Pant hasn't been fulfilled till now. I am very sorry. Sonal Dinusha had his strike rate up there. But the difference is high-risk options. When you have the game in your hand, these are all statements: 'That's how Rishabh plays.' It is about what your team needs," Ashwin said.

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Whenever Pant's Test career comes up, the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour of Australia inevitably follows, and Ashwin didn't skip it either. But instead of just praising Pant for those famous knocks, he flipped it, pointing out that Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar's contributions mattered just as much in those wins, maybe more than people give them credit for.

"Rishabh played a class knock in Sydney and Brisbane, but you couldn't have won that match without Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur. It takes 11 cricketers to build a Test and win it in the last session of the game, but it takes only 1 moment of foolishness to lose a Test," said Ashwin.

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He then went a step further, taking aim at how Pant's aggressive style gets framed almost like a personality trait rather than a tactical choice, especially when the situation calls for something entirely different.

"I am just talking about the times when these chances are being taken when the game is on the line," he added.

"I love Rishabh the player. It is about playing situations in this format. Sehwag and Gilchrist played high brand of cricket, but these two don't get edged out while dancing down to Marco Jansen when your team is trailing by 500 runs. Don't place these marketing lines in front of me ever again."

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Ashwin questions the special treatment narrative around Pant

Beyond just the shot selection debate, Ashwin's got a bigger issue: the whole "once-in-a-generation" tag that's been attached to Pant for years now.

He feels that kind of framing lets Pant off the hook, and that other players deserve similar backing too, not just the label reserved for one guy.

"Don't give one player special treatment. This once-in-a-generation player backing, then give it to everyone," he said.

"Jaiswal is also such a player. All I'm saying, Rishabh, is that he is experienced; he has played 50 Tests. He needs to take responsibility. Don't come up with this 'once-in-a-generation' argument. It is because of his decision-making that he's not playing the other two formats. The day you tell him the truth, he will be an all-format player for India."

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Ashwin's got a point, but so does the counterargument

Ashwin's criticism lands because it's coming from someone who's actually played alongside Pant, watched him up close through wins and collapses alike. And he's right about one thing especially: 50 Tests in, Pant isn't exactly a rookie anymore.

The "that's just how he plays" excuse only holds up for so long before it starts sounding like an avoidance of accountability rather than an actual defence.

That said, there's a flip side worth acknowledging. Pant's fearless streak is also precisely what's won India Tests nobody expected them to win; Sydney and Brisbane weren't flukes, they were the product of a batter willing to take on bowlers when everyone else was playing for survival.

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The trick isn't asking Pant to become someone else entirely; it's getting him to recognise which moments call for that kind of aggression and which ones need patience instead. Ashwin's frustration feels less about Pant's talent and more about wanting him to finally close that gap between potential and consistency, something Indian cricket's been waiting on for a while now.

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