Greg Chappell: Rishabh Pant is Revolutionizing Cricket with Unorthodox Style

Former India coach Greg Chappell believes Rishabh Pant is revolutionizing cricket with his unconventional batting style. Chappell emphasized Pant's ability to single-handedly win matches.

Rishabh Pant celebrates a century during the Headingley Test © AFP

Despite India's loss in the Headingley Test, Pant's performance stood out. He achieved the remarkable feat of scoring centuries in both innings, showcasing his potential to change the game's trajectory.

Chappell lauded Pant's rapid scoring rate, which creates opportunities to win matches. "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 etched his name in history by becoming only the second wicketkeeper-batter, following Andy Flower, to achieve a century in each innings of a Test match.

Speaking at a promotional event in Mumbai, Chappell highlighted the impact of modern technology and bats on Pant's game. "You know, modern technology - the bats are very different. Obviously, you can play shots that weren't possible with the old bats. But man, he's exciting to watch. 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."

Drawing comparisons, Chappell likened Pant to another legendary wicketkeeper, Adam Gilchrist.

"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 captaincy debut, suggesting he displayed promising signs and will only improve with experience. "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.

"So he will have learned a lot from that...He will only get better and better as a captain...Let's wait and see, but I think he made a very good start as captain."