“I would be glued to TV if he is batting” - Ravi Ashwin backs Indian star batter ahead of England tour

Former Indian spinner and cricket analyst Ravi Ashwin has stated that he would be eagerly waiting to watch the Indian keeper-batter Rishabh Pant bat on the England tour, scheduled to start on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds.

Speaking about Pant, Ashwin hailed him as a high-quality Test batter, who can walk into the team with a few questionable choices of shots. Moreover, Ashwin added that Pant needs a matter of time to attain more consistency.

"I think Rishabh is a high-quality Test batsman. He can just walk into that team as a pedigree Test batsman even if he does not have to hold on to the gloves. Fantastic Test batter with a questionable choice of shots sometimes, but I guess he comes with it and he gives you match-winning knocks. It’s only a matter of time when he finds out the formula and rectifies it to become more consistent. He should be walking in at No. 5 as No. 6 for him would be a bit too late in my view. I would be glued to the TV set if he is batting," Ashwin said in an interview with RevSportz.

Furthermore, Ashwin also talked about Shubman Gill becoming the new Test captain of the Indian cricket team. He asserted that Gill would be under a lot of pressure and would be aiming to start on a positive note with both batting and captaincy.

"About Shubman Gill, I think he is already too overwhelmed by the attention and responsibility he has got. If I was in his place with such a high-pressure job, I would want to have a very good start as a batsman. As a batter, he will have his share of questions on his place, as England can be a very tough place to bat. But if he makes runs, runs will give confidence and that would in turn rub on to captaincy. He is a very special player, and I hope he gets off to a very good start to avoid any questions raised," he said.

"In all honesty, I think this is a team he will really enjoy and be comfortable in the dressing room, because this will be a totally young team who would want to learn from him, asking a lot of questions," Ashwin concluded.

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