Rishabh Pant's Unconventional Batting Style Is Revolutionizing Cricket, Says Greg Chappell

Former India coach Greg Chappell believes Rishabh Pant is transforming the sport with his unconventional batting style. Chappell emphasized Pant's match-winning capabilities, noting his near success at the Headingley Test.

Rishabh Pant's remarkable centuries in both innings at Headingley.

Despite India's loss in the Headingley Test, Pant's brilliance shone through his centuries in both innings, highlighting his ability to change the game.

Chappell praised Pant's rapid scoring rate, which allows teams time to win matches. He described Pant's performance as "phenomenal," noting that some of his shots defy conventional coaching manuals. "He is reinventing the game as a batsman," Chappell added, lauding the Indian wicketkeeper.

Pant achieved a milestone by becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter, following Andy Flower, to score a century in each innings of a Test match.

Chappell commented on the impact of modern technology and bats, which enable shots previously impossible. He emphasized Pant's exciting style, where his next move is unpredictable. "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 said at a promotional event in Mumbai on Wednesday, June 25.

Chappell, considered one of Australia's finest batters post-Don Bradman, drew parallels between Pant and Adam Gilchrist, another iconic wicketkeeper.

"What an exciting cricketer, what a player to have on your team," he said. "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 Captaincy Praised

Chappell also commented on Shubman Gill's positive start as captain, predicting further improvement. "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. As a player, maybe the result didn't go the right way, but conditions were probably better for him on the last day than they were at any other stage in the Test match."

He added, "So he will have learned a lot from that. The Indian think tank will have learned a lot from what happened in the Test match. He will only get better and better as a captain. 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 there are four Test matches to go. Let's wait and see, but I think he made a very good start as captain."