Australian legend and former Indian coach Greg Chappell haspraised Rishabh Pant, describing him as a changing force in modern-day cricket. Speaking at a promotional event in Mumbai on June 25, Chappell lauded Pant’s fearless batting style that challenges traditional norms and gives India a competitive edge.
“He’s a match-winner,” Chappell said, adding, “very nearly made the difference in that game (at Headingley).” Pant’s performance stood out despite India’s defeat in the Headingley Test, where the fearless wicketkeeper-batter made history by becoming only the second keeper after Andy Flower to score a century in both innings of a Test match.
“He’s exciting to watch” – Chappell on Pant
“The beauty of it (Pant’s batting) is that he gets his runs at a very fast rate, which gives you time to win cricket 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, clearly impressed by Pant’s ability to dominate bowlers in unconventional ways as he scored back-to-back centuries at Headingley.
Commenting on Pant’s bold stroke play, 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.”
In drawing comparisons, Chappell concluded, “When I first saw him, he was a different sort of player, of course, but he reminded me very much of Adam Gilchrist… What an exciting cricketer, what a player to have on your team.”
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