"If you ask him to open, he'll open" - Ian Smith hails Rishabh Pant's attitude after heroics in IND vs BAN 1st Test 2024
Former New Zealand batter Ian Smith hailed wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant for his fighting attitude after the gloveman's heroics in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. Playing for India in the red-ball format after almost two years, Pant scored a magnificent 109 in the second innings of their 280-run win.
Furthermore, the 26-year-old scored a valuable 39 in the first innings when India were reeling at 34/3. Pant's incredible Test numbers and his latest century have several experts and fans projecting him to potentially be India's and later the world's best Test wicket-keeper.
Talking about the same to talkSPORT cricket, Ian Smith admitted being a fan of Pant and said, as quoted by Hindustan Times:
"Rishabh Pant… I like him because he's just got that attitude. He's not going to run away from a fight. If you ask him to open, he'll open. If you ask him to bat at 5, he'll do it. He is probably not the best gloveman the world has ever seen but he is working on it, getting better at it.
"And that's efficient because you spend so much of your day standing close to the stumps. He is a given, for me. He is Gilchrist-like in that regard. I rate him very highly."
Pant has scored 2,419 runs in 34 Tests at a stellar average of almost 45 with six centuries and 11 half-centuries. Former Australian Adam Gilchrist has the record for the most runs by a wicket-keeper in Tests with 5,570 at an average of 47.60 in 96 matches.
"You talk about hero factor, it's pretty hard to go past MS" - Ian Smith
Ian Smith had his say on the hottest topic in Indian cricket currently - Rishabh Pant vs MS Dhoni in Tests.
Dhoni finished his Test career with 4,876 runs in 90 games with six centuries and 33 half-centuries. Pant has already equaled Dhoni in the centuries count despite playing less than half the matches.
"I like Pant as a cricketer. It's an extremely important role and he's got massive shoes to fill because they’ve had a revolving door since Dhoni to be perfectly honest. You talk about hero factor, it's pretty hard to go past MS," said Smith.
"But once you reach a certain stage in Indian cricket and you start to perform at the international level, your life changes dramatically. You become a superstar beyond anything most sporting people would be akin to," he added.
Dhoni finished with 256 catches and 38 stumpings behind the stumps while Pant is on 120 catches and 14 stumpings.