Ashwin made a big disclosure about Rishabh PantImage Credit Source: Getty Images
The way the fourth day of Lord’s Test match between India and England ended, it became a matter of much discussion. In response to the target of 193 runs from England, Team India had lost 4 wickets by the end of the day’s play. A lot of questions started to arise about the fourth wicket in this because Akash Deep was the batsman who had come as a night watchman. They were sent so that the main batsmen could be saved, but the decision to send them raised questions. Now former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has made a big disclosure in this case and is associated with wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant.
Team India started their second innings at the end of the fourth day of the match on Sunday 13 July at Lord’s. But the beginning was bad and on seeing this, 3 wickets including captain Shubman Gill fell. KL Rahul was frozen at the crease and in such a situation, the eyes were on whether Team India sends Rishabh Pant as every time as the next batsman or the night watchman lands on the field. Finally, the Indian team sent Akash Deep, who stayed for some time but was dismissed in the last over of the day.
From then on, from experts to fans on social media, they started discussing whether the Indian batsmen started getting scared, which they needed a night watchman. This decision was under question and was being asked why Pant was not sent. But apart from these discussions, former star all-rounder Ashwin has revealed that Pant does not like to bat in the last 30-40 minutes of the day.
Ashwin, while discussing this issue in his YouTube channel, narrated an old anecdote and told how the play of the day was about to end during a Test match on a Bangladesh tour, then Team India’s wicket fell. Ashwin said, “As soon as our 2 wickets fell, Rishabh told Rahul Bhai (Rahul Dravid)-I will not go for batting. At that time there were 30-40 minutes left. When the next wicket fell, the number-4 batsman should have gone but he went in and had to send Akshar Patel, after which Jayadev Unadkat was sent to Jaydev Unadkat.”
Similarly, Ashwin also mentioned the Test match against New Zealand last year, in which Pant was to be sent after Virat Kohli’s wicket but Team India sent night watchman Mohammad Siraj. Ashwin said that Pant does not like batting in the last 30-40 minutes and that is why Team India would have sent Akash Deep instead of Pant.
