"I reckon he attacks a bit more than I did" - Adam Gilchrist on Rishabh Pant's aggressive approach in Test cricket
Adam Gilchrist has observed that India's Rishabh Pant plays much more aggressively than the former Australian wicketkeeper-batter did during his Test career. The former New South Wales player also suggested that Pant creates a balance between attack and defense according to the situation.
Having represented Australia in 96 Tests, Gilchrist played aggressively, maintaining a staggering strike rate of 81.95 by scoring 5570 runs at 47.60. The southpaw's highest score of 204 also came in while batting at No. 7. Pant, who plays similarly, has a strike rate of 73.63 in 33 Tests since debuting in 2018.
Speaking on Cricket.com, the former Aussie cricketer labeled Pant 'fearless.'
"I reckon he attacks a bit more than I did. I played an aggressive brand at that time, but Rishabh, he looks fearless. What I do like is that he occasionally puts a foot on the brake and absorbs a bit of pressure. So he's a class act," Gilchrist said (via India Today).
Rishabh Pant has been one of India's biggest match-winners in the last two years and played an integral role in their back-to-back series victories in Australia. The left-hander has Test centuries in Australia, South Africa, and England.
"He knows how to go about a very serious business in a fun way" - Adam Gilchrist on Rishabh Pant
The 52-year-old further opined that Rishabh Pant gets the spectators hooked to their seats, given his gameplay and humor, and inspires people to do things in a fun way. Gilchrist added in the same interview:
"He is, what you say, bums on seats and people pay money well and truly. I would happily pay money to watch him play cricket. So that's a great quality to have, I think, if people are acknowledging in that manner because he gets the results, he's a winner and a survivor, as we know. He's all class in everything he does. He's good fun, he's got the humour. He knows how to go about a very serious business in a fun way."
The Indian youngster also scored an enterprising 39 on Day 1 of the opening Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.