Rishabh Pant is reinventing batsmanship, reminds of Adam Gilchrist: Greg Chappell-OxBig News Network

Former Australia cricketer Greg Chappell has showered massive praise on India wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant, saying that he’s reinventing the game. Pant left fans on the edge of their seats with his audacious strokeplay during the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds.

The 25-year-old etched his name in the record books by slamming hundreds in each innings of the game, becoming just the second gloveman in history to achieve the unique feat. Pant’s marvellous innings earned him praise from Greg Chappell, who said that the youngster is redefining the art of batting.

“The beauty is Rishabh gets runs at a very fast rate which gives you time to win cricket matches. His was a phenomenal performance. Some of the shots he played weren’t in the MCC playing manual. He is really reinventing the game as a batsman. With modern technology, the bats are very different and you can play shots which weren’t possible with the old bats. He’s exciting to watch,” Chappell was quoted as saying by PTI.

Furthermore, the former India head coach revealed that Pant reminded him of the legendary Adam Gilchrist and extolled his unpredictable gameplay.

“When I first saw him, he reminded me of Adam Gilchrist…a different sort of player, of course, but…the difference it can make to a team when a wicketkeeper can bat at that level and to score runs quickly. You never quite know what to expect from him from the first ball. At any stage he is likely to jump down the wicket to the fast bowlers or play the falling ramp shot. You never quite know what to expect. It keeps the opposition on their toes. He is a match winner (and he) very nearly made the difference in that game,” he added.

Pant got involved in crucial partnerships in both innings of the Headingley Test, first with captain Shubman Gill and later with KL Rahul. He added 209 runs for the fourth wicket with Gill in the first innings, playing an innings of 134 (178), with the help of 12 fours and six sixes.

During his innings, he also left behind legendary MS Dhoni, registering the most centuries by an India wicketkeeper in Tests. Later in the second innings, Pant added 195 runs for the fourth wicket with KL Rahul, with his innings of 118 (140), studded with 15 fours and three sixes.

Unfortunately, his career-best performance ended up in a losing cause as England chased down a massive score of 371 in the fourth innings to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

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