Greg Chappell Hails Rishabh Pant's "Revolutionary" Batting, Likens Him to Gilchrist

Greg Chappell Lauds Rishabh Pant, Draws Comparisons to Adam Gilchrist

Former India coach Greg Chappell has showered praise on Rishabh Pant following his remarkable performance at Headingley, where he scored centuries in both innings. Chappell likened Pant's game-changing ability to that of Australian legend Adam Gilchrist.

Rishabh Pant celebrates a century against England.

Pant, who now serves as India's Test vice-captain, achieved a rare feat by becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter in Test history, after Zimbabwe's Andy Flower, to score a century in each innings. His aggressive batting display was a major highlight of the series opener, despite India's five-wicket defeat on Day 5.

Chappell, speaking at an event in Mumbai, emphasized the impact of Pant's rapid scoring rate: "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. 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 believes Pant is revolutionizing Test batting with his fearless approach, taking full advantage of modern bats and his own innate talent.

"He is reinventing the game as a batter. You know, modern technology, the bats are very different. You can play shots that weren’t possible with the old bats. But man, he’s exciting to watch,” he added.

Chappell also highlighted Pant's ability to keep bowlers guessing. “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,” he explained.

Recalling his initial impressions of the left-handed batsman, Chappell stated, “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 twin centuries propelled him to a career-best seventh position in the ICC Test rankings for batters. India will aim to capitalize on his explosive form in the second Test.