Rishabh Pant's Unconventional Batting Redefining 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 emphasizes Pant's match-winning capabilities, highlighting his significant impact in the Headingley Test.

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

Despite India's loss 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 single-handedly alter the course of a match.

Chappell highlighted the significance of Pant's rapid scoring rate, noting that it provides teams with a valuable opportunity to secure victories. He commended Pant's phenomenal performance, remarking that his shot selection often defies traditional coaching manuals. "He is reinventing the game as a batsman," Chappell stated, praising the Indian wicketkeeper's innovative approach.

Pant's achievement of becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter, after Andy Flower, to score a century in each innings of a Test match further solidifies his place in cricket history.

"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 at a promotional event in Mumbai on Wednesday (June 25).

Drawing comparisons to another legendary wicketkeeper, Adam Gilchrist, Chappell acknowledged Pant's game-changing potential.

"What an exciting cricketer, what a player to have on your team," he said. "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 Start as Captain

Chappell also commented on Shubman Gill's debut as captain, acknowledging that he "had a good Test". While acknowledging the unfavorable result, Chappell believes Gill will improve with experience. He noted the missed opportunities in the field and the lower order's batting struggles as factors contributing to India's defeat. Despite this, he remains optimistic about Gill's future as captain.

"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.

"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."