‘Come on, Rishabh!’: R Ashwin encourages Pant to hit six ahead of RR-DC clash

Indian teammates Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ah before the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Jaipur A heartwarming scene was captured during Ravichandran Ashwin’s training session. Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals will face off for the second time in IPL 2024 in Jaipur. RR started their season with a 20-run win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) while DC started their season with a four-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab (PBKS).

During the training, Ashwin stood behind Rishabh’s training net and boosted his morale with a few words of encouragement. The star wicketkeeper-batsman, who has just returned to competitive cricket after a life-threatening accident in December 2022, wasted no time in sending the ball flying into the sky.

“Pant has supported Asher all these years. Today, it’s time… #RoyalsFamily | #IPL2024 | #RRvDC | #reelkarofeelkaro | #reelitfeelit | #explore,” RR tweeted.

The interaction between the two Indian stars reminded fans of the many hilarious interactions between Rishabh and Ashwin during their playing days for India. Rishabh is often heard encouraging Ashwin from behind the stumps, saying, “Come on, Ash! Come on, Ash!” The spinner brings out his best deliveries to trouble the batsmen.

Pant has been supporting Ash over the years. And today, it’s time… pic.twitter.com/7fuKYmHYaO

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 26, 2024

This time, the situation has reversed. In what was probably their first public interaction since Rishabh’s accident, Ashwin took on the role of batsman, standing behind the wicket and encouraging Pant, who had just made an inspiring comeback, to do what he does best: bat. Hit a six.

In Rishabh’s comeback against Punjab, he scored 18 runs off 13 balls, including two fours. The young wicketkeeper-batsman will be keen to do better this time and entertain the crowd in Jaipur.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)