Rishabh Pant's Fearless Batting Style Hailed by Greg Chappell as Game-Changing: Ex-India Coach Compares Him to Gilchrist After Twin Centuries vs. England

Greg Chappell Lauds Rishabh Pant's Game-Changing Innings, Compares Him to Adam Gilchrist

Rishabh Pant scored smashing centuries in both innings against England (Image via AP/Scott Heppell)

Former India coach Greg Chappell has showered praise on Rishabh Pant following the wicketkeeper-batter's remarkable twin centuries at Headingley. Chappell hailed him as a game-changer, drawing parallels between Pant's impact and that of Australian legend Adam Gilchrist.

Pant, who now serves as India's Test vice-captain, etched his name in history by becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter, after Zimbabwe's Andy Flower, to achieve the feat of scoring a century in both innings of a Test match. His explosive batting display stood out as one of the most captivating performances in the series opener at Headingley, despite India's eventual five-wicket defeat to the hosts on Day 5.

"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 remarked at an event in Mumbai.

Chappell believes that Pant is revolutionizing Test batting with his fearless approach, effectively utilizing 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 was also impressed by 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-hander, Chappell said, "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 be aiming to capitalize on his explosive form in the second Test, scheduled to commence on July 2. A victory would see the visitors level the series.