He is just 26 years old, but Rishabh Pant continues to defy odds. They said he his unorthodox and aggressive batting won't let him succeed in Tests. Yet here he is – one of India's most consistent and reliable batters overseas. They said Pant has a long way to go before his keeping skills improve. Surprise, he is already taking stunners and effecting mighty impressive stumpings behind the wicket. They said he will never be the same after that dreaded accident. Well, guess who scored over 400 runs in IPL 2024 and bettered it with a T20 World Cup win and later a dream century on Test return? It was that man again, Rishabh Pant.

Pant's exponential rise in world cricket was expected, but not so soon. Six years, out of which he had to miss one due to injury – Pant already has six Test centuries, the same as MS Dhoni after 90 Tests. He is indeed, as Wasim Akram just pointed out, 'a miracle kid'. It is due to this very rare and special skills that Pant brings to the table that the world can't help but compare him to the likes of Adam Gilchrist and Dhoni, two of the greatest, and might we add aggressive wicketkeeper batters in the history of the game.

But if former New Zealand batter Ian Smith is to be believed, Pant still has a long way to go before he could be acknowledged in the same bracket as the legendary Dhoni. Make no mistake, Smith likes Pant and watching him bat, but in terms of following and the kind of incredible things Dhoni pulled off during his career, Pant, despite ticking most boxes until now, has some catching up to do, reckons Smith.

"I like Pant as a cricketer. It's an extremely important role and he's got massive shoes to fill because they’ve had a revolving door since MS Dhoni to be perfectly honest. You talk about hero factor, it's pretty hard to go past MS. But once you reach a certain stage in Indian cricket and you start to perform at the international level, your life changes dramatically. You become a superstar beyond anything most sporting people would be akin to," he said on talkSPORT cricket.

'Pant not the best gloveman'

Pant is a bonafide superstar for India in Tests, and although he may not have been able to repeat the same exploits in ODIs or T20Is, Rishabh's attitude stands apart as per Smith. Look at the velocity of some of the innings he has played – 97 in Sydney, 89 not out at the Gabba, six Test centuries to go with six scores in the 90s. Pant's keeping skills have come a long way from his Test debut in 2018, and although Smith believes there's scope of improvement in that regard, the dynamic India wicketkeeper batter exudes the same vibe as Australian great Gilchrist.

"Rishabh Pant… I like him because he's just got that attitude. He's not going to run away from a fight. If you ask him to open, he'll open. If you ask him to bat at 5, he'll do it. He is probably not the best gloveman the world has ever seen but he is working on it, getting better at it. And that's efficient because you spend so much of your day standing close to the stumps. He is a given for me. He is Gilchrist-like in that regard. I rate him very highly," said Smith.

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