Rishabh Pant has been to England before but what he pulled off in the Leeds Test might just be the highlight of his career so far.
Scoring centuries in both innings, Pant lit up the game. His fearless approach, mixed with those unorthodox shots, completely threw the English bowlers off. Even one of India’s most controversial former coaches couldn’t help but admit that Pant is changing the way the game is played.
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Greg Chappell, who once coached Team India and is known for his strong opinions, didn’t hold back in his praise for Pant. Chappell said the Indian star is “reinventing the game.” Let’s take a look at what he said.
What did Greg Chappell say about Pant’s approach?
Chappell said that the special thing about Rishabh Pant’s batting is how quickly he scores runs. He praised Pant’s performance as brilliant and also pointed out that many of the shots Pant played were so unique that they wouldn’t be found in traditional coaching books.
"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. His 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. He is reinventing the game as a batsman," said Chappell.
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Chappell finds Rishabh Pant very thrilling to watch because Pant is so unpredictable. Right from the very first ball, Pant might do something unexpected. This unpredictability keeps the opposition guessing all the time and makes Pant a tough player to plan against.
"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," Chappell added.
With his fearless style and flair, Pant continues to redefine modern batting, one unorthodox shot at a time.