IND vs AFG 2026: 'He has cost India a few times through baffling shots' – R Ashwin on Rishabh Pant after Afghanistan knock

Former Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has named Rishabh Pant as the best Test batter he has seen, but criticised his inability to convert his starts into big scores after his 81 in India’s innings and 300-run win against Afghanistan in the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur. 

“He’s [Pant] actually the best Test batter. When he defends, it’s so good that even Gavaskar is impressed. When he defends, the ball literally pleads if it can move off the square to him. He has so much time, irrespective of how fast the ball comes at him,” said Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube Channel.

Pant, coming off a dismal season in the IPL, scored a well-made 81 off 121 balls, piling on runs after KL Rahul’s century and Sai Sudharsan’s 81. He was dismissed after trying to step out against Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, skying one to Azmatullah Omarzai at long-off. Ashwin singled the wicketkeeper-batter out for playing a poor shot when well set and taking more responsibility with the bat.

“You’ve got out so many times in the 80s and 90s. It’s impossible to discover such a great Test batter. But playing such a shot on 80 is mind-boggling. Having come to 80, can’t you play for another 20 runs? He has cost India a few times through baffling shots at the wrong time. As a batter, he has to take that extra responsibility. If he had converted his multiple 80s to 100s, his stats would look unbelievable,” Ashwin said in the video

Ashwin further added that he is disappointed with how many times Pant has thrown starts away, urging him to bat more in accordance with the situation as a senior batter who has played over 50 Test matches. He further stated that Test cricket is about playing percentage shots, which are low risk.

“All batters make mistakes, but the amount of time he does it is disappointing. Especially when so many have told you that it’s a mistake and to still keep doing it, I am not okay with that. He has played more than 50 Tests now. So he needs to start playing the situation for the team on many occasions,” Ashwin said.

“I’ve told him so many times that you’ve so much time to defend and can play whatever shot you want to. Why do you get yourself out? Many will say it’s his natural game. But natural game is playing the percentages in Test cricket. A good percentage shot is knowing there is a 70% success rate. When you look to hit a ball over the fielders on the boundary, it’s not a percentage shot at all,” he added.

Pant’s innings consisted of six fours and three sixes, and he stitched a partnership of 169 runs from 216 balls with captain Shubman Gill, who scored a brilliant 129.