Greg Chappell: Rishabh Pant Redefining Cricket with Revolutionary Batting Style

Former India coach Greg Chappell believes Rishabh Pant is revolutionizing cricket with his unconventional batting style, marking him as a game-changing player. Chappell emphasized Pant's match-winning capabilities, noting his near success at Headingley.

India faced defeat in the Headingley Test, but Pant's exceptional performance shone brightly as he achieved centuries in both innings, underscoring his ability to reshape the game.

Rishabh Pant celebrates a century at Headingley © AFP

Chappell lauded Pant's rapid scoring rate, which provides teams with the opportunity to secure victories. "His was a phenomenal performance," Chappell stated, "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 has achieved a significant milestone, joining Andy Flower as only the second wicketkeeper-batter to record a century in each innings of a Test match.

Chappell highlighted the impact of modern technology and bat innovation, enabling players to execute shots previously deemed impossible. He also noted Pant's unpredictable style. "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 to another iconic wicketkeeper, Adam Gilchrist, Chappell, a celebrated Australian batter, recognized Pant's unique talent.

Chappell added, "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 Start as Captain

Chappell also commented on Shubman Gill's captaincy debut, suggesting he will continue to improve. He said, "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... He will only get better and better as a captain."

He concluded, "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 he made a very good start as captain."