Gautam Gambhir asked to pull Rishabh Pant aside: 'Your lower-order can't contribute, the next time you're at 130...'

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant had a match to remember as he scored twin centuries in the Headingley Test against England. However, his effort went in vain as England chased down 371 to gain a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The southpaw is now just the second wicketkeeper-batter after Zimbabwe's Andy Flower to score tons in both innings of a single Test. Rishabh Pant urged to think about 'lower order contribution' when he comes out to bat next. (@BCCI X)

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reckons Rishabh Pant now needs to think about the lack of performance from the lower order and not throw away his wicket. In the Headingley Test, Pant recorded scores of 134 and 118.

Pant is now just the seventh Indian to score twin centuries in a single Test, and he joins the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli in an elite list. He has also gone past MS Dhoni in scoring the most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests.

In both innings, India had a chance to put the game to rest. However, a lower-order collapse paved the way for England to stage a comeback. In the first innings, the last seven wickets fell for 41 runs, while the last six wickets in the second session fell for 31 runs for India.

In the first innings, India went from 430/3 to 471 all out, while in the second innings, India were bundled out for 364 despite being 333/4 at one stage.

“Rishabh Pant scored twin hundreds; he joins an elite list of batters. Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli are all in the list, and Rishabh Pant has now joined them. Rishabh Pant now has the highest number of centuries as an Indian wicketkeeper-batter,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.

Also Read: 'Rishabh, keep scoring runs or they'll throw you out': Gambhir's 'ridiculous' act in press conference slammed

“Rishabh had a fantastic game, but I would like to repeat that he has a great defence. There is not even one shot in the book that he cannot play,” he added.

‘What a talented player Rishabh Pant is’: Ashwin

Ashwin also stated that if he were in Gautam Gambhir's position, he would pull Pant aside and speak to him about the rising need for him to score double hundreds, as the lower order is not contributing much.

“I sometimes feel if I was Gautam Gambhir, I would take him aside and tell him, 'you played exceptionally well and I would have loved to be the batter with the ability that you have' but can I request you to make a double hundred next time when you are batting at 130 because you know the lower-order cannot contribute much. That would be the only request I would make of Rishabh. What a talented player,” said Ashwin.

The former India spinner, who retired from international cricket in December 2024, said that Pant should also not be compared with MS Dhoni, as the latter never batted at No.5, as he was more of a keeper-batter.

“Comparing MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant is not fair. MS Dhoni never batted at No.5. MS Dhoni was a keeper-batter, and I would say Pant is a batter-keeper. There are a lot of differences in that,” said Ashwin.

“Rishabh Pant should be compared with the likes of Virat Kohli. He is a main batter. The time and skill Pant has, when he is batting, look at the time he has against the pacers,” he added.

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