Rishabh Pant: Greg Chappell Hails India Star as Cricket Revolutionary

Greg Chappell: Rishabh Pant is Revolutionizing Cricket

Former India coach Greg Chappell believes Rishabh Pant is transforming the sport with his unconventional and aggressive batting style. Chappell emphasized Pant's match-winning capabilities, noting his significant impact during the Headingley Test.

Rishabh Pant's centuries in both innings at Headingley showcased his brilliance. © AFP

Despite India's loss in the Headingley Test, Pant's outstanding performance, marked by centuries in both innings, underscored his ability to change the course of a game.

Chappell lauded Pant's rapid scoring rate, stating, "The beauty of it is that he gets his runs at a very fast rate, which gives you time to win cricket matches." He further added, "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."

Pant recently achieved a remarkable feat, becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter, after Andy Flower, to score a century in each innings of a Test match.

Speaking at a promotional event in Mumbai, Chappell highlighted Pant's unpredictable nature and the impact of modern technology on batting. "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," Chappell said.

Drawing comparisons with another iconic wicketkeeper, Adam Gilchrist, Chappell remarked, "What an exciting cricketer, what a player to have on your team. 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, suggesting he had a promising start and will continue 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. As a player, maybe the result didn't go the right way, but conditions were probably better for him on the last day than they were at any other stage in the Test match," Chappell noted.

He concluded, "Gill will have learned a lot from that... He will only get better and better as a captain... I think he made a very good start as captain."