Ian Chappell: Rishabh Pant Is Long Way In Front Of KS Bharat As A Keeper And India Will Miss Him Badly In WTC Final

New Delhi: Former Australia captain Ian Chappell reckons that India will miss the services of Rishabh Pant in the World Test Championship final (WTC 2023), not just as an explosive batter at the top of the order but also as a wicket-keeper. In absence of Pant, who met with an unfortunate car accident in December, India opted for KS Bharat, who had a tough time behind the stumps in the just-concluded four-match Test series against Australia.

“I would doubt very much if Pant is going to play in that game but they will miss him badly. I think, not only is he a very good attacking batsman but I think he is far far away the best keeper on what I have seeen. I wasn’t that impressed with Bharat’s keeping. I think Pant is a long way in front of him as a keeper. So they will miss him badly,” Chappell said in ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day Live right after the end of the fourth Test match.

Virat Kohli, who has had a tough couple of years in Test cricket scored a brilliant 186 in the fourth Test against Australia in Ahmedabad and Chappell feels that the former India captain’s form will be very important for India.

“I think it was important for India that Kohli got back into form. I think, Kohli is still a very fine player for India and they badly need him in form. They need him in form going into that World Test championship (final),” he added.

Australia captain Pat Cummins was ruled out of the last couple of Test matches of the Border-Gavaskar trophy due to his mother’s illness and Steve Smith took over the role in his absence. With Australia winning the third Test in Indore, there was a lot of speculation in the media of making Smith the full-time captain, some even going to the extent of suggesting to drop Cummins from the Australia team.

The 79-year-old rubbished all such speculations and backed Cummins to come back stronger.

“What are you going to talk about? If you are talking about dropping Pat Cummins, what is it that you are gonna say? I mean, I would love to hear somebody come up with an excuse to drop Pat Cummins. The poor guy – you think about the pressure that would have been on him that his mother was probably on the way out and he captained the first two Tests under that sort of a feeling. It is hard enough to captain Australia at the best of times and without knowing that your mother is virtually on her death bed. So, if they are going to have a conversation about Pat Cummins, they are going to be talking through their hat,” the former Australia captain concluded.