Veteran Indian off-spinner R Ashwin heaped praise for his Indian and Delhi Capitals teammate Rishabh Pant and said that the left-hander's ability to generate immense power in his strokes sets him apart.
Rishab Pant’s rise in international cricket is one of the most remarkable ones being witnessed in the history of Indian cricket.
From being dropped in India’s limited-overs set-up and not starting as a first choice wicketkeeper in first Test against Australia to cementing his place in all three formats of the game, the southpaw has had an impressive last few months.
His heroics in the last few months also earned him the leadership of his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals after regular skipper Shreyas Iyer sustained shoulder in the recent concluded ODI series between India and England and was ruled out of the IPL 2021.
Talking to The New Indian express veteran off-spinner R Ashwin while lauding Rishabh Pant’s free-flowing bat swing said that his ability to produce immense power in his strokes sets him apart from other cricketers.
"Many people say that he is fearless and all that. I think he is naturally blessed with a good bat swing. Lot of people crave for that bat swing. He is able to produce immense power; that is not an ordinary thing for a cricketer. I think that really sets him apart," R Ashwin told The new Indian express.
R Ashwin hopes Rishabh Pant can deliver as a captain and people should give his captaincy time before jumping to conclusions.
“We have to give him a chance and wait and see what he does. He comes from a modest background. He has a simple attitude in life and has made a comeback of sorts recently. I wish him all the best and hope that he can deliver,” he said.
Ashwin while talking about the addition of Steve Smith into the Delhi Capitals side that said that with Shreyas Iyer not being there, Smith’s experience will add value to the team.
"Having an experienced player is always good for us, especially now that Shreyas is not there, which is a big blow for us. Hopefully, someone like Smith will share his experience and add value to the team," he added.
Delhi Capitals (DC) will kick start their IPL 14 campaign against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on 10th April at Mumbai.
(The New Indian express inputs)
