Responding to his thoughts on criticism over the use of the Decision Review System [DRS], India off-spinner R Ashwin has singled out Rishabh Pant for poor calls in the recent past, saying that the wicketkeeper has been “letting him down”.
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On India’s tour to Australia and the home series against England that followed, skipper Virat Kohli and Ashwin have been criticised for their poor use of the system, but the off-spinner feels that the wicketkeeper’s opinion, generally an integral part of the discussion before DRS reviews, has often found wanting.
Speaking to India Today, Ashwin said that the scrutiny over his judgement of the review system cannot be solely put on him, bringing Pant, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper, into the discussion.
“I think we need to change the lens with which people are looking at me for the DRS,” Ashwin said. “Before this series against England, my DRS [usage] was extremely good. Because when you take the DRS, you need to rely on the keeper’s resources. I ask valid questions in terms of saying ‘I know whether the ball is struck in line or not’.”
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Ashwin further said that he had a discussion with Pant, 11 years his junior, over his DRS input, because, according to him, coach Ravi Shastri had been unhappy with the bowler’s DRS calls recently.
“But with respect to the line from the angle that I am bowling and the bounce, the keeper really needs to help. And Rishabh is actually letting me down on a lot of occasions. I took him aside and said we need to sit together on a crash course with DRS because Ravi Bhai has a few complaints about me going for DRS,” he said with a smile.
“If there’s one improvement I’d like to make, is go for better DRS in the future series, I will hold myself in check and we have been playing on red-soil pitches after a long time. It plays a huge role.”
