'He Attacks A Bit More Than Me': Adam Gilchrist on Rishabh Pant's Comparison With Him

Australian cricket icon Adam Gilchrist reckoned that India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant approaches the sport more aggressively than he did in his Test career.

The returning southpaw Pant was in his usual form, scoring a brilliant century against the Asian counterparts in the second innings.

In a talk prior to Pant’s sublime showing in Chennai, the retired Aussie wicketkeeper told Cricket.com how they boasted a similar playing style.

“Oh, he’s [the closest to me]. 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.”

Adam Gilchrist was one of the most aggressive batters in cricket during the 90s. The left-handed batter made a huge impact. In the 96 Tests Gilchrist played for Australia he racked up 5570 runs at an average of 47.60. The Aussie achieved these figures while maintaining a strike rate of 81.95.

In recent times, Indian wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant has probably come closest to the brand of cricket Gilchrist had displayed during his era.

Speaking further about Rishabh Pant, Adam Gilchrist described the Indian wicketkeeper as a class act. “So he’s [Pant] a class act. He’s what you say, ‘bums on seats’. And people pay money well and truly and I would happily pay money to watch him play cricket. That’s a great quality to have I think,” he added.

Gilchrist went on to add, “If people acknowledge you in that manner, he gets results. He’s a winner, a survivor as we know.”

Apart from his talent on the cricket pitch, Adam Gilchrist was also a fan of Pant’s personality. Talking about his humorous nature, Gilchrist said, “Yeah, just he’s all class in everything he does. He’s good fun, he’s got the humour. He knows about to go about a very serious business in a fun way.”

Rishabh Pant came up with a sublime knock on the third day of India’s Test series opener against Bangladesh. The Indian wicketkeeper scored a 128-ball 109 in the second innings of the first Test, peppered with 13 boundaries and four sixes before being dismissed by Mehidy Hasan Miraz.