Greg Chappell: Rishabh Pant's Explosive Batting Redefining Cricket

Rishabh Pant: Revolutionizing Cricket, Says Greg Chappell

Former India coach Greg Chappell believes Rishabh Pant is transforming the sport of cricket with his unconventional and aggressive batting style. Chappell emphasized Pant's match-winning capabilities, highlighting his near success at Headingley.

India may have lost the Headingley Test, but Pant's brilliance shone through as he scored centuries in both innings © AFP

Despite India's defeat in the Headingley Test, Pant's remarkable performance stood out. He achieved the rare distinction of scoring centuries in both innings, underscoring his ability to change the course of a game.

"The beauty of it is that he gets his runs at a very fast rate, which gives you time to win cricket matches," Chappell noted. "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 has etched his name in the record books, becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter, after Andy Flower, to achieve the feat of scoring a century in each innings of a Test match.

Speaking at a promotional event in Mumbai, Chappell elaborated on Pant's impact: "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, considered one of Australia's finest batsmen post-Don Bradman era, drew comparisons between Pant and Adam Gilchrist, another iconic wicketkeeper.

"What an exciting cricketer, what a player to have on your team," he remarked. "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."

Gill's Captaincy Debut

Chappell also shared his thoughts on Shubman Gill's debut as captain, opining that he demonstrated promise and has the potential for growth. "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, "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. So he 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."