Rishabh Pant's "Revolutionary" Batting Style Reshaping Cricket, Says Greg Chappell

Former India coach Greg Chappell believes Rishabh Pant is transforming the game of cricket with his unconventional and aggressive batting style. Chappell emphasized Pant's match-winning capabilities, recalling his impactful performance at Headingley.

India faced defeat in the Headingley Test, but Pant's remarkable performance stood out as he achieved centuries in both innings. This extraordinary feat underscored his ability to shift the momentum of a game.

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

Chappell lauded the Indian wicketkeeper, saying, "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."

Pant's unique achievement includes becoming the second wicketkeeper-batter, following Andy Flower, to record a century in each innings of a Test match.

Speaking at a promotional event in Mumbai on Wednesday (June 25), Chappell remarked, "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, a respected figure in Australian cricket history, drew parallels between Pant and another celebrated wicketkeeper, Adam Gilchrist.

He emphasized, "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."

Gill's Promising Captaincy Debut

Chappell also shared his observations on Shubman Gill's captaincy debut, expressing optimism about his potential. He stated, "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."

He concluded, "So he will have learned a lot from that. The Indian think tank will have learned a lot from what happened in the Test match. He will only get better and better as a captain. Had the team taken a few more catches and, maybe, if the tail had wagged a bit stronger in both innings, the result could have been very different. But I think there are four Test matches to go. Let's wait and see, but I think he made a very good start as captain."