Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes Rishabh Pant can be India’s Adam Gilchrist as the youngster continues to impress.
Rishabh Pant showed his immense potential once again on Saturday, playing an attractive unbeaten knock of 85 to bail India out of trouble in the second Test against West Indies. In reply to West Indies’ first innings total of 311, India were reeling at 162 for 4. However, the pressure disappeared as soon as Pant arrived at the crease. With Ajinkya Rahane standing like a rock on the other side, Pant took the pressure off the team with his positive display.
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He scored 85 off just 120 balls and added an unbeaten 146-run stand with Rahane as India recovered and closed the day on a commanding 308 for 4.
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Impressed with the knock, Sunil Gavaskar lavished praise on Pant and went on to compare him with the legendary Adam Gilchrist.
“The way Pant batted it looked like he was celebrating something. He is such a fine player. We all know the type of shots he possesses but like you said, towards the end of day’s play, there would have been a temptation to go for the big shots and go for the hundred but I think he recognises along with Rahane…very wise head at the other end that India needs a very big lead and not just individual honours. So, he is egging Pant to carry on and I’m very, very impressed with Pant’s approach to the task.
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“At no.6 if you have somebody coming in like that…it is almost like Adam Gilchrist. Gilchrist used to come in when Australia were in the doldrums with four wickets down and not too many runs on the board and he would hit a blazing hundred and take Australia to 350-400 and I think that is what Pant is capable of,” Gavaskar told India Today.
Pant, meanwhile, has continued to impress since making his Test debut against England. The southpaw, who got off the mark with six in Test cricket, scored a brilliant ton in the last Test in England. He followed it up by a 84-ball 92 runs knock against West Indies in the first Test.
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