Rishabh Pant: Greg Chappell Hails India Star as Cricket Revolutionary
Former India coach Greg Chappell believes Rishabh Pant is changing the game with his unconventional batting style. He described Pant as a "match-winner" and highlighted his near game-changing performance at Headingley.
Even though India lost the Headingley Test, Pant's brilliance was evident. He scored centuries in both innings, demonstrating his ability to alter the course of a game.
Chappell praised Pant's rapid scoring rate, which he believes creates opportunities to win matches. "His was a phenomenal performance - some of the shots that he played probably weren't in the MCC coaching manual when I last looked at it. He is reinventing the game as a batsman," Chappell said.
Pant achieved a milestone by becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter, following Andy Flower, to achieve a century in each innings of a Test match.
Chappell added, "You know, modern technology - the bats are very different. Obviously, you can play shots that weren't possible with the old bats. But man, he's exciting to watch. You never quite know what to expect from the first ball at any stage. He's likely to jump down the wicket to the fast bowlers, or he'll play the falling ramp shot. You never quite know what to expect, so it keeps the opposition on their toes."
Drawing comparisons, Chappell, a renowned Australian batter himself, likened Pant to another iconic wicketkeeper, Adam Gilchrist.
"What an exciting cricketer, what a player to have on your team," he said. "When I first saw him, he was a different sort of player, of course, but he reminded me very much of Adam Gilchrist. You know the difference that it can make to a team to have a wicketkeeper that can bat at that level and score runs quickly."
Shubman Gill's Captaincy Debut
Chappell also commented on Shubman Gill's performance as captain, stating he had a promising start and is expected to improve. "It was a terrific Test match. Sadly, India didn't finish up on the correct side, but there were a lot of good things that they did. Shubman Gill had a great start to his career as a Test match captain."
He continued, "So he will have learned a lot from that... He will only get better and better as a captain... but I think he made a very good start as captain."
