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

Former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith feels that comparing Indian wicketkeeperbatsman Rishabh Pant to Australian great Adam Gilchrist would be premature at this stage but Pant can get close to Gilchrists recordsPant is one of the most exciting talents in the game and has already registered test centuries in Australia England and South Africa Pants mentor MS Dhoni himself couldnt achieve what Rishabh Pant has done on away pitches Pant still has a long way to get compared with Gilchrist who has over 15000 in international cricket and more than 800 catches donning the Big GlovesRishabh Pant since his accident has come back very strong and he looks in terrific form He is dynamic Hes aggressive hes 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 2024Like Gilchrist Pant has shown the ability to bat up and down the order across formats He can compliment whos 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 thats what makes him valuable He can hit the first ball he faces out of the ground and hes got other bailout options as well if it doesnt work out that way I mean you know hes replaced a very good player in KL Rahul KL Rahul is a worldclass cricketer That says it all for me said SmithAh yeah well hes 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 theres 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 67yearold from NelsonFor him Pant is surely one of the best in the modern game alongside Quinton de Kock Jos Buttler and Mohammad RizwanAlso ReadT20 World Cup 2024 IND vs BAN Blues look to conquer Bengal TigersNew 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 2024Theyve just come to the end of a really good cycle where their results have always been competitive and weve 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 whats left in their career dollarwise You cant blame a lot of them for that You get one opportunity at it and its 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 Its something New Zealand have to look at he said referring to top players opting out of central contractsThe other thing is we need some fresh ideas in the coaching department I dont 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 cycleFollowing 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 cricketWell hes not the first player of course to do that Trent Boult has done it Jimmy Neesham has done it Colin Munro has done it Hes the most important cricketer to us to have done it So I think its an indication that when you have paid your dues when youve 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 its just an indication now for him he would have thought long and hard about giving up the captaincy because its important to himThe good news is hes still available for New Zealand And in particular in Test Cricket 32 Test Hundreds to improve on thats important said Ian Smith who played 63 Tests and 98 ODIs between 1980 and 1992Does the trend of giving up contracts lessen the importance of a national capOh 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 weve been hanging in there with our dollar value contracts because thats been really our only option and theres nowhere else to go But now there is with so many leagues going onMyself 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 honestyTeam 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 dont think any team in the world or cricket in particular plays with as much pressure on their shoulders as the Indian cricket teamThe expectation desire from the population for the team to win almost every game Every day you get out of bed you have to win Its a tough thing to have to bearWith PTI Inputs