Greg Chappell Praises Rishabh Pant's Fearless Hitting, Compares India Star to Adam Gilchrist After Twin Centuries vs. England

Greg Chappell Lauds Rishabh Pant's Fearless Batting, Compares Him to Adam Gilchrist

Former India coach Greg Chappell has showered praise on Rishabh Pant following his remarkable twin centuries at Headingley. Chappell hailed the wicketkeeper-batter as a game-changer, drawing parallels between his impact and that of Australian legend Adam Gilchrist.

Rishabh Pant's twin centuries against England were a masterclass in aggressive batting.

Pant, who now serves as India's Test vice-captain, etched his name in history by becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter, after Zimbabwe's Andy Flower, to achieve the feat of scoring a century in each innings of a Test match. His explosive batting display stood out as one of the most significant performances in the series opener at Headingley, despite India's eventual five-wicket defeat to the hosts on Day 5.

Chappell emphasized the significance of Pant's rapid scoring rate. "The beauty of it is that he gets his runs at a very fast rate, which gives you time to win cricket matches. It 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," Chappell remarked at an event in Mumbai.

Chappell believes Pant is revolutionizing Test match batting. He utilizes modern bats and his natural talent.

Chappell further highlighted Pant's unpredictable nature, stating, "You never quite know what to expect from the first ball at any stage. He’s likely to jump down the wicket to the pacers, or he’ll play the falling ramp shot. You never quite know what to expect, so it keeps the opposition on their toes."

Reflecting on his initial impressions of the left-handed batsman, Chappell recalled, "When I first saw him, he was a different sort of player, of course, but he reminded me very much of Adam Gilchrist.”

Pant's stellar performance propelled him to a career-best seventh position in the ICC Test rankings for batters. India aims to capitalize on his explosive form in the upcoming second Test.