 "Ashwin has slammed Rishabh Pant's for tactical errors made in 1st Test against South Africa. Image: AFP")
Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out the key mistake made by Rishabh Pant during India’s 30-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens. India were chasing only 124 runs in the final innings but collapsed for 93 on Day 3, and Ashwin believes one tactical error cost the match.
Ashwin said that Pant should have started the third morning with his best bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah, considering the pitch was ideal for fast bowling early in the first session. Bumrah proved that by picking a wicket immediately after he was brought into the attack.
“It was wrong. Test-match mornings always have to start with your best bowlers. You can finish the game with other bowlers only if you are massively ahead of the others. If you want to give opportunities to other bowlers, you can give opportunities," Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin explains why Pant’s decision was wrong
He explained that on such pitches, the first hour can decide the match and India needed their main strike bowlers right away. “But in low-scoring Test matches, Bumrah and Jadeja should have opened the day, then Kuldeep. That’s how the rotation should’ve worked. You know the game won’t go too long. You can easily use two bowlers in one hour,” he added.
“Bumrah came back and he got Corbin Bosch out. So, I think we made a massive error there. Especially after the roller, the spin would have stopped. So, we should have started with Bumrah and Jadeja. There was a tactical error because of which we lost the match,” Ashwin said.
Pant, who was the stand-in captain, started the morning with Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. This allowed Temba Bavuma to build a crucial partnership with Bosch and add those 30-40 extra runs that eventually decided the game. Pant himself admitted after the match that the Bavuma-Bosch stand was the turning point.
“Temba and Bosch had a good stand in the morning. That partnership between them hurt us,” Pant said at the post-match presentation.