Greg Chappell Hails Rishabh Pant's Headingley Heroics, Draws Parallels to Adam Gilchrist

Greg Chappell Lauds Rishabh Pant, Compares Him to Adam Gilchrist After Headingley Heroics

Former India coach Greg Chappell has showered praise on Rishabh Pant following his remarkable performance at Headingley. Chappell likened Pant's game-changing ability to that of Australian legend Adam Gilchrist, highlighting his explosive impact on the match.

Rishabh Pant's twin centuries were a key highlight in the recent India vs. England Test.

Pant achieved a rare feat, becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter in Test history, after Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower, to score a century in both innings of a Test match. Although India lost the series opener by five wickets on Day 5, Pant's aggressive batting stood out as a major positive.

"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 at an event in Mumbai. "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 match batting with his fearless approach, effectively utilizing modern bats and his own natural 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 emphasized 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, Chappell noted, "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 recent form has propelled him to a career-best seventh position in the ICC Test rankings for batters. India is aiming to leverage his explosive batting in the upcoming second Test.