Rishabh Pant did hog enough limelight with his twin centuries in the first Test against England at Headingley, but that wasn't sufficient to snatch a win for India in the series opener. Despite Pant's back-to-back centuries in both the innings (134 in 1st and 118 in second), India ended up losing the battle by five wickets to trail the five-match Test series 0-1.
Pant became only the seventh Indian batsman to score centuries in both innings of a single Test match, joining an elite group that includes legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli. However, his achievement was ultimately overshadowed by the team's result in the first Test against England at Headingley.
A recurring issue for the Indian team, the lower-order batting collapse, once again proved to be a major contributing factor. This failure of the tail-enders to provide any meaningful contribution allowed England to stage a comeback and successfully chase down a formidable target of 371.
Weighing in on the situation, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin offered his perspective on what Pant's mindset should be moving forward. Ashwin stated that if he were in a mentoring role like Gautam Gambhir, he would advise Pant to aim for even greater milestones. Citing the unreliability of the lower order, Ashwin suggested that the next time Pant reaches a score of 130, he should push for a double century instead of potentially throwing his wicket away.
According to Ashwin, it is now crucial for Pant to internalize the reality of the team's fragile tail and adjust his gameplay accordingly. The advice implies that Pant can no longer afford to play with unchecked aggression after reaching a century, as the lack of support from the subsequent batsmen means his prolonged presence at the crease is vital for the team's success.
“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. 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," Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin also said had he been in Gambhir's place, he would have taken Pant aside and request him to make a double hundred next time when he is batting at 130.
“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," Ashwin concluded.