Smith, impressed with Pant’s performance since returning from a car accident, noted Pant’s good performance in the IPL and his current form in the T20 World Cup.
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“Rishabh Pant since his accident has come back very strong and he looks in terrific form. He is dynamic. He’s aggressive, he’s dangerous,” Smith was quoted as saying by PTI.
Pant, much like Gilchrist, has demonstrated his ability to bat in various positions across different formats. Smith remarked that Pant’s versatility makes him a valuable player in white-ball cricket.
“He can compliment who’s with him, whether he comes in to support Kohli or whether he comes in to support… Rohit Sharma, so three is a good spot for him because I firmly believe that in white-ball cricket your best players should have the opportunity to face the most deliveries. And so that’s what makes him valuable.”
“He can hit the first ball he faces out of the ground and he’s got other bailout options as well if it doesn’t work out that way. I mean, you know, he’s replaced a very good player in KL Rahul. KL Rahul is a world-class cricketer. That says it all for me,” said Smith.
Pant, who is 26 years old, is seen as a similar type of cricketer, like Gilchrist, who can bat down the order in Test cricket and up the order in white-ball formats. However, Smith emphasized that Pant still has a long way to go to reach Gilchrist’s records, who scored more than 15,000 runs in international cricket and took over 800 catches behind the stumps.
“Ah yeah, well, he’s got a bit to go. But yes, similar type of cricketer who can, in Test cricket, bat down the order. And in white-ball cricket can be back at the top of the order. So there’s that similarity with Gilchrist there. But if he continues in the same vein for a few more years, then people will say Gilchrist and Pant, yeah, very close,” said Smith.
