Rishabh Pant of India plays a shot during Day 2 of the 2nd Test match between Sri Lanka and India at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 24, 2026. (CREIMAS)Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that Rishabh Pant hasn’t fulfilled his potential, adding that the ‘once in a generation’ tag shouldn’t lead to the wicketkeeper-batter getting special backing from the team management.“Don’t give one player special treatment. This once-in-a-generation player backing, then give it to everyone. Jaiswal is also such a player. All I’m saying, Rishabh, is that he is experienced; he has played 50 Tests. He needs to take responsibility. Don’t come up with this ‘once-in-a-generation’ argument. It is because of his decision-making that he’s not playing the other two formats. The day you tell him the truth, he will be an all-format player for India,” he said on Ash ki Baat.Ashwin also said that Pant’s attacking style cannot be used as an excuse for his poor decision making in critical junctures.“My expectation from Rishabh Pant hasn’t been fulfilled till now. I am very sorry. Sonal Dinusha had his strike rate up there. But the difference is high-risk options. When you have the game in your hand, these are all statements: ‘That’s how Rishabh plays.’ It is about what your team needs,” Ashwin said.Also Read | Rishabh Pant’s century of sixes came faster than anyone in Test history“Rishabh played a class knock in Sydney and Brisbane, but you couldn’t have won that match without Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur. It takes 11 cricketers to build a Test and win it in the last session of the game, but it takes only one moment of foolishness to lose a Test,” he added.In the recently-concluded Sri Lanka series, Pant finished with 168 runs, including two half-centuries in the two Test matches. India on the series 1-0 after the second Test in Colombo was drawn.Ashwin also rejected the notion that Pant’s aggressive batting mirrors that of past greats such as Virender Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist.Story continues below this ad“I am just talking about the times when these chances are being taken when the game is on the line. I love Rishabh the player. It is about playing situations in this format. Sehwag and Gilchrist played high brand of cricket, but these two don’t get edged out while dancing down to Marco Jansen when your team is trailing by 500 runs. Don’t place these marketing lines in front of me ever again,” he said.Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.Tags:R AshwinRishabh Pant