Chappell Hails Rishabh Pant's Revolutionary Impact on Cricket OR Greg Chappell: Rishabh Pant is Redefining Cricket with Bold Play OR Pant's Unorthodox Batting is Revolutionizing Cricket, Claims Chappell

Chappell: Rishabh Pant is Revolutionizing Cricket

Greg Chappell believes Rishabh Pant is transforming the game of cricket with his unconventional and aggressive batting style. The former India coach lauded Pant's match-winning capabilities, noting his near-decisive impact during the Headingley Test.

Rishabh Pant's centuries in both innings at Headingley showcased his brilliance. © AFP

Despite India's loss at Headingley, Pant's outstanding performance, marked by centuries in both innings, highlighted his ability to shift the momentum 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 stated. He emphasized the unorthodox nature of Pant's shots, suggesting they deviate significantly from traditional coaching manuals. "He is reinventing the game as a batsman," Chappell added, praising the Indian wicketkeeper-batter.

Pant achieved a remarkable feat by becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter, after Andy Flower, to score a century in each innings of a Test match.

Chappell further commented on the influence of modern technology and bat designs on Pant's innovative shot selection. "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 remarked during a promotional event in Mumbai.

Drawing comparisons with another legendary wicketkeeper, Adam Gilchrist, Chappell acknowledged Pant's impact.

"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 Captaincy Debut

Chappell also shared his thoughts on Shubman Gill's performance as captain in the Test match, believing he demonstrated a promising start and is poised for future improvement. "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.

"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."