Yuvraj Singh on Rishabh Pant: Recently, former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh drew similarities between Rishabh Pant and legendary Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist. Yuvraj talked about Pant’s impact on the game while batting in the middle order. Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire Podcast, Yuvraj said, “There are glimpses of Gilchrist in Rishabh because he comes in at number five and six and changes the game. In fact, I tell Pant a lot about how Gilchrist has played in Tests. How he changed the middle order batting, what was his approach, he is definitely a match winner for us at number five and six in Tests.”
Pant’s aggressive style and ability to change the course of a match with his batting has often drawn comparisons with Gilchrist, who revolutionized the wicketkeeper-batsman role in Test cricket. Yuvraj’s comments reflect a growing recognition of Pant’s important role in India’s Test lineup, where his explosive batting can turn the tide in India’s favour.
Yuvraj’s comments come at a time when Pant is establishing himself as a key player for India in all formats of the game. With several match-winning performances, Pant’s impact in the middle order is becoming increasingly important, just like Gilchrist’s was for Australia. Pant made his debut in the Test format against England in 2018. In Tests, the 26-year-old played 34 matches and 58 innings and scored 2419 runs at a strike rate of 74.11.
Rishabh Pant made his international Test comeback in the Bangladesh series after recovering from a serious car accident and immediately made an impression with his class. His quick scores in India’s first match of the series, including a century in the second innings, have brought Pant back up the ICC Test rankings to sixth place.
Pant played an inning of 109 runs in 128 balls at a strike rate of 85.16 in the second innings against Bangladesh in Chennai. The Indian wicketkeeper batsman hit 13 fours and 4 sixes while at the crease. He was dismissed by Mehdi Hasan Miraz in the 56th over of India’s second innings, after which his innings came to an end.