IND vs SA 2025: Former India spinner expresses concerns over Rishabh Pant’s body language during Guwahati Test

Rishabh Pant (Source: Jiostar)

India have their backs against the wall in the second Test against South Africa at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. The Asian giants lost the first Test in Kolkata by 30 runs and need to win the second and final Test to avoid a series defeat.

However, South Africa have already stretched their second-innings lead beyond the 500-run mark, and it looks like the Men in Blue are heading towards a second Test series defeat at home since Gautam Gambhir took charge as head coach last year.

India conceded a 288-run lead in the first innings before South Africa got off to a good start in their second outing with the bat. However, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin backed the home side to produce a strong effort with the bat in the fourth innings and give the Proteas a tough time. The 39-year-old, however, voiced his concerns with the stand-in captain Rishabh Pant’s body language while marshalling his troops in South Africa’s second innings.

“I really hope we can bounce back while batting in the 2nd innings, but the indications on the field with respect to body language,” Ashwin posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Pant made his Test captaincy debut in the ongoing contest with regular skipper Shubman Gill missing out due to a neck injury he suffered while batting at Eden Gardens earlier this month. However, the Delhi cricketer hasn’t had a great outing, neither as a skipper nor as a batter.

While some of the defensive fields he set in the first innings were criticised, he got out to a reckless shot while batting, leaving his Indian fans frustrated. The 28-year-old only made seven runs from eight deliveries.

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