Rishabh Pant’s aggressive batting and wicket-keeping has led to comparisons with Australian great Adam Gilchrist. Gilchrist changed the way people looked at the keeper-batter role in Test cricket with his lower middle order hitting. Pant does it for India so the comparison makes sense.
But Indian legend Ravichandran Ashwin thinks it’s wrong to compare Pant and Gilchrist as batters. Ashwin says Pant has a solid defensive game which Gilchrist didn’t.
He’s great. A lot of people compare him to Adam Gilchrist but Gilchrist didn’t defend as well. Pant’s defence is very good. We should compare him to top batters not just Gilchrist. Rishabh Pant is unique, Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Pant is currently on tour with the Indian Test team in England for a 5 match series which is currently tied. The 27 year old had a great start, scoring a century in both innings of the first game in Headingly which made him the first Indian keeper-batter to do so.
Pant has been criticized for being too reckless at times.
I want to see him reach his potential. We like when he entertains but he needs to be more controlled sometimes. Pant is not new to this. I want to see him play to his abilities,” Ashwin said.
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India’s batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak says Pant has a method and plans his innings ahead.
Rishabh talks a lot about his decisions, Kotak said. “He doesn’t like to talk much when he is batting because he thinks it affects his mindset.”
