Adam Gilchrist wants Rishabh Pant to be given a nice run to arrive at the highest level

Rishabh Pant after creating a lot of buzz in first-class and T20 cricket finally got his maiden Test call-up on the tour of England. After the first two Test matches where Dinesh Karthik had disappointing Pant was handed his debut and he impressed both with his glove-work and temperament. He famously hit the second ball in Test cricket off Adil Rashid for a six and made a grand entry in the longest format. Australian legend Adam Gilchrist, however, thinks Pant will need time to properly arrive at this level.

He said that the 20-year-old is a very exciting player and credited the Indian Premier League (IPL) for giving him the platform as his performances in the tournament helped his national selection. Gilchrist thinks he will still need some time to settle in and start producing memorable efforts at this level which is a real challenge.

Give Pant time

“He looks a very exciting cricketer. He’s a Quinton de Kock type player in the way he bats and keeps. And we see a number of exciting cricketers come through the IPL. He’s another one who’s produced the goods and he’s been selected for India. So, it’s an exciting time for him. And, the challenge will be to perform at that level,” Gilly said while talking at an event in Bangalore.

Further, when talking about the tour of Australia, he added: “So, the selectors need to allow players (time) to settle into the top level. If you churn through them too quickly, it can leave a psychological scar on players’ minds and that might limit their efforts in being able to produce their best.

So, hopefully, Pant gets a nice run at it. Obviously, there’s an Australian tour up for grabs. I am sure India – even on the back of the disappointments and frustrations of England – certainly have an opportunity to make an impression. I think they’d enjoy batting in Australia. And the conditions could make way for a hard-fought Test series.”

He also talked about Indian captain Virat Kohli and said:

“He’s an absolute champion. I think the last England tour was the only time he was questioned of his abilities in a foreign land. He’s put that out of the equation now. He’s been really impressive even as India lost the series.”

On finding an able replacement for MS Dhoni

“It’s a challenging situation for any team. When Shane Warne finished, he left a big hole in the team. Same (for India) when the big four departed. And, MS Dhoni is as good a player as any in the ‘keeper-batsman position… plus he captained as well. So, it might take chopping and changing to find that player (who can fill in for him).”

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