Rishabh Pant should be compared with the likes of Virat Kohli: R Ashwin

India might have lost the first Test in the five-match series against England at Headingley, Leeds, but they did have a few positives to build on. One of the biggest silver linings was Rishabh Pant's staggering performance with the bat as he became only the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score centuries in both innings of a Test match.

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had massive praise for Pant as he opined that the 27-year-old should be compared to the iconic Virat Kohli. Ashwin said that special players have the ability to pick the line and length of a ball quickly, and he kept Pant in that league.

"Rishabh Pant should be compared with the likes of Virat Kohli. He is a mainstream batter. Because he has got so much time. Some of these special batters have that knack of picking the ball early. They pick the line quickly, pick the length quickly and they get into lovely positions. Rishabh Pant is one of those rare players who has got that special skill," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat'.

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Ashwin urged the Indian batters to bat as long as they can and keep England on the field. The Chennai Super Kings star warned India of England's eagerness to go for any target that they are set. Ashwin mentioned this to be the reason why Shubman Gill and Co. would have to give the Three Lions bigger targets and less time to chase them down.

"One thing that the Indian team's batting can focus on is in every innings, can you extend your batting with time -- not by runs. Increase the amount of time England is fielding and increase the amount of time you keep them on the field. When you didn't extend your batting into Day 5, the game was over. This England team has openly advertised that they will go for the target whatever may be the target. So as a batting lineup, we've to keep in mind that we have to give them less time but give a bigger target,” he added.