Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant's performances with the bat in Australia and improvement behind the stumps against England have impressed former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell.
The oldest Chappell brother has written a column for ESPNCricInfo on the journey of Rishabh Pant from being overweight while landing in Australia to becoming a hero by the time the four-Test series against England concluded.
Chappell wrote for ESPNCricInfo, "Pant was read the riot act in Australia when he turned up overweight. He then “worked his backside off”, according to the coach, and was reinstated in the team after the Indian debacle at Adelaide Oval. What followed has been a revelation."
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"Pant has produced three innings that changed the course of a Test with mature counterattacking when the team was in trouble. Most players don’t contribute that many in a career. Not content with just batting heroics, Pant has also evolved as a keeper when standing up to the spinners, going from fumbling to fabulous in the space of a few weeks," he added.
The 77-year-old further stated that the spirit of the young Indian wicket-keeper epitomizes Team India's new approach to the game of cricket. He also praised the leadership of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Ravi Shastri in instilling these qualities in the Indian cricketers.
"Pant is a popular player in the Indian side and his spirit epitomizes the team’s confident, attacking approach to the game. England has players who could provide a similar stimulus to their team. What they lack is a conducive environment."
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"In modern India, the players are more confident and aggressive. This attitude is boosted further on reaching the international arena by the positive encouragement of the leadership group of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Ravi Shastri.
Then there’s the IPL. It has resulted in Indian players being exposed to more international thinking and training, which has had a positive effect on both cricketers and coaches,” Chappell added.
Ian Chappell ended by praising the fearless Rishabh Pant for playing each of his innings in the last couple of Test series with balanced aggression.
“Pant was scared of… well, nothing actually. The chirpy Indian keeper, armed with a supremely confident disposition, played each innings balancing aggression with appropriate caution. His approach of ‘see the ball and hit it’ is a simple one but it’s fortified by the common-sense approach of always looking for opportunities to score,” Chappell wrote.
