 "A still of Rishabh Pant playing an effortless shot on Day 2 of the Manchester Test. AP")
The courage Rishabh Pant showed the other day in Manchester has won the hearts of millions across the world. Former England captain David Gower is also largely impressed with India’s wicketkeeper batter, so much so that he has claimed that what Pant does on the field, “others can only dream of and takes incredible to another level.” Gower, who is touted as one of the finest left-hand batters to have graced the game, could not stop raving about Pant, who trudged to the middle with a broken foot on Day 2 of the ongoing fourth Test against England.
Talking about the grace that left-handers carry, Gower keeps Brian Lara in the highest regard in this department, but spoke highly of Ben Duckett and Rishabh Pant, who have been brilliant with the bat in the series in England.
“Tongue-in-cheek…we have always said left-handers are the best. For some reason when you look at left-handed batsmen it seems to be more graceful than right-handed. I’ve watched a lot of great left-handers from my days growing up, Gary Sobers for one, Brian Lara of course probably the best of those when I was first starting to grace commentary boxes and describe these things,” Gower told PTI.
“Now we have a guy called Ben Duckett, he has a very different style to mine but incredible to watch. Every time I look at him bat you’re kind of wondering what happens next and you cannot forget, especially in the context of this series, Rishabh Pant.” Gower said the series would be poorer in Pant’s absence if the Indian star is ruled out of the remainder of the series.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“I’m actually so sorry that he’s injured, and if this foot thing is terminal (and he is out of the series). There is a man who does the things that only others dream of. Some people call them nightmares, but he’s an absolutely brilliant, extraordinary player to watch.
Gower gushes about Pant
According to Gower, the characteristics Pant possesses are hard to find, and one either has it or not.
“So, you cannot replicate what he does. You cannot ask a young player, say age 15-16 to bat like Rishabh Pant, go on try that because that would be probably fatal to their career.
“But when you’ve got someone like that who plays this most extraordinary version of the game, you cannot but admire it. He takes incredible to another level,” said Gower.