"He's got a bit to go": Ian Smith on comparing Pant to Gilchrist

Rishabh Pant (Pic: File Pic)

Former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith feels that comparing Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant to Australian great Adam Gilchrist would be premature at this stage but Pant can get close to Gilchrist's records.

Pant is one of the most exciting talents in the game and has already registered test centuries in Australia, England and South Africa. Pant's mentor MS Dhoni himself couldn't achieve what Rishabh Pant has done on away pitches. Pant still has a long way to get compared with Gilchrist who has over 15,000 in international cricket and more than 800 catches donning the Big Gloves.

"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", said Ian Smith, who has now become one of the most respected voices in the game and is currently commentating on T20 World Cup 2024.

Like Gilchrist, Pant has shown the ability to bat up and down the order across formats. "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.

"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 on the same vein for a few more years, then people will say Gilchrist and Pant, yeah, very close", said the 67-year-old from Nelson.

For him, Pant is surely one of the best in the modern game alongside Quinton de Kock, Jos Buttler and Mohammad Rizwan.

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New Zealand who are one of the most consistent teams in world cricket fell short of qualifying for the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2024.

"They've just come to the end of a really good cycle where their results have always been competitive, and we've got through to finals in world competitions. Players getting on a wee bit, getting older, and starting to work on what is important to them and how they can maximise what's left in their career dollar-wise. You can't blame a lot of them for that. You get one opportunity at it and it's a lot more lucrative to travel the world and play in the leagues than it is to stay in New Zealand and be based there. It's something New Zealand have to look at", he said referring to top players opting out of central contracts.

"The other thing is we need some fresh ideas in the coaching department. I don't think one coach can coach all three forms of the game anymore and so therefore New Zealand just needs a bit of a new broom to sweep through after a pretty successful cycle."

Following the shocking T20 World Cup 2024 exit, Kane Williamson declined the central contract in New Zealand to spend more time with the family and feature more in franchise cricket.

"Well, he's not the first player of course to do that. Trent Boult has done it, Jimmy Neesham has done it, Colin Munro has done it. He's the most important cricketer to us to have done it. So I think it's an indication that when you have paid your dues, when you've had a long and distinguished career, you start to be able to pick and choose what you want to do for the remainder of your time. And I think it's just an indication now for him he would have thought long and hard about giving up the captaincy because it's important to him."

"The good news is he's still available for New Zealand. And in particular, in Test Cricket, 32 Test Hundreds to improve on, that's important", said Ian Smith, who played 63 Tests and 98 ODIs between 1980 and 1992.

Does the trend of giving up contracts lessen the importance of a national cap?

"Oh look, yeah, it depends you see on what level your national contracts are and what financially valuable they are. In New Zealand, our pay scales are well below than of some other countries. And so in our respect, we've been hanging in there with our dollar value contracts because that's been really our only option and there's nowhere else to go. But now there is (with so many leagues going on)."

"Myself back in the day. Yeah, I would have done the same thing at this stage of my career (as Williamson did). I would have followed the money", he said with all honesty.

Team India has now won a global showpiece since 2013 and Ian Smith understands the situation of the side. "Fear of failure is a massive thing in sport. Pressure is a big thing. Being able to handle the big occasion. I mean, I don't think any team in the world, or cricket in particular, plays with as much pressure on their shoulders as the Indian cricket team."

"The expectation... desire from the population for the team to win almost every game. Every day you get out of bed you have to win. It's a tough thing to have to bear."

(With PTI Inputs)