R Ashwin reveals real reason behind sending Akash Deep as nighwatchman in Lord's test

On Day 4 of the Lord's Test between India and England, Indian skipper Shubman Gill decided to send Akash Deep as the nightwatchman after losing three early wickets in the 193-run chase. However, this decision raised eyebrows of many who questioned why a proper batter like Rishabh Pant was not sent in the middle. Apart from Akash Deep, KL Rahul was at the crease, who supported him by giving him fewer chances to strike. But it was the last ball of the day when Ben Stokes bowled the nightwatchman out.

Now, former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed the real reason behind not sending Pant to bat instead of Akash Deep. Ashwin, in his YouTube channel, revealed that this wasn't the first time Pant had avoided coming out to bat.

Ashwin reveals real reason Pant not coming out to bat in last minutes of Day 4

''I’ll tell you a story. Remember that Test match in Mirpur when India were chasing some 140 runs to win? So I was sitting and relaxing in the dressing room after bowling. It was all hot and humid. I was sitting next to the analyst, and Rahul Dravid was there a little further. After we lost the first two wickets, Rishabh said 'main nahi ja raha batting karne' (I am not going out to bat) to Rahul bhai. There was a good 30-40 minutes left. But he said I am not going. When the next wicket fell and the No. 4 batter was supposed to go in, he went inside, and they had to send Axar Patel first, I guess, and then Jaydev Unadkat to go in as the nightwatchman,'' Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

He also said that the same situation occurred in November 2024 during a match against New Zealand. ''Rishabh does not like batting in the last 30-40 minutes of the day. That’s why they sent Akash Deep. But see, it is about protecting your best batter, yes. But when you send a batter like Akash Deep and then he gets out, it puts you in even more of a situation. When we were playing against New Zealand, the same thing happened. When Virat Kohli got out, Rishabh was not in a mood to go out. Then we had to Siraj. And when he got out, again a proper batter had to go out,'' he added.

Meanwhile, India lost the game in the last Session of Day 5 by 22 runs, when Ravindra Jadeja left no stone unturned in saving the game, but it was the tailenders who supported him till the last.