Mumbai: Ravichandran Ashwin, India's premium spin bowler as put his weight behind the young wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant. Ashwin has called pant a "special talent". Rishabh Pant and Ashwin, both are bound to play in the World Test Championship (WTC Final).
Team India has left for England to play the all-important Word Test Championship. Kohli's men will face-off against New Zealand on 18 June. While talking about Indian middle-order, Ashwin said, "We all know what sort of player Rishabh is. He can take the game away from the opposition," to The New Indian Express.
"We have the luxury of batting the keeper at No. 6 and playing five bowlers, which is so crucial for the combination. His natural bat swing and fearless approach make him a special player and a talent to watch," Ashwin added.
The confidence that the senior off-spinner has shown in the young and fiery Indian batsman would surely serve wonders for Pant.
Ravi Ashwin has 409 Test wickets against his name currently, which is just eight wickets short of Harbhajan Singh's tally of 417 wickets. When asked about surpassing Bhajji and becoming the 'most successful off-spinner', Ashwin said, "Until you asked me this question, it did not even cross my mind. It is something I never imagined as a child, I am probably living a dream I didn’t even have. I did not even think I will be an off-spinner till I was 17 or 18. I decided to just focus on the process and not on the results. It looks like a cliched line, but it’s what I have done."
Pant and Ashwin are both part of Delhi Capitals in the IPL.