Rishabh Pant declared 'Adam Gilchrist-like' yet inferior to MS Dhoni by Ian Smith

Former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith talked about Indian wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant's comparison with MS Dhoni. He said that the left-hander has massive shoes to fill and also mentioned that the keeper-batter is not the best wicketkeeper as well.

Rishabh Pant has, for the last few years, been one of the best wicketkeeper batters going around in cricket. The Southpaw has made a massive contribution to the India National Cricket Team, especially in the longest format of the game.

One of the major reasons behind India winning Tests in overseas conditions has been Pant. The keeper-batter has often bailed the team out of trouble with his sensational performances and is the backbone of the team. He has hit centuries in Australia, South Africa, and England, which speaks a lot about his caliber.

In the recent Test match against Bangladesh, which was also his comeback in Test cricket, Pant also slammed a vital century. Since then, he has been compared with MS Dhoni, and many have touted him as even better than the former India skipper. Dhoni has been an incredible servant for the team and his contribution to Indian cricket has been immense.

Ian Smith, while talking about the same, said that he likes Rishabh Pant as a cricketer but made a bold remark that it's hard to go past MS Dhoni. He stressed how players gain limelight in India after they perform. Speaking on talkSPORT cricket, he explained:

"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 Dhoni, to be perfectly honest. You talk about the 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 is probably not the best gloveman the world has ever seen - Ian Smith on Rishabh Pant

Ian Smith further mentioned that Rishabh Pant is a fighter and highlighted how he doesn't run away from challenges. He also mentioned that Pant is a work in progress in wicketkeeping before correlating him with Adam Gilchrist. He mentioned:

"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 it, he'll open it. 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 to me. He is Gilchrist-like in that regard. I rate him very highly," he concluded.

Pant will be next seen in action when India will take on Bangladesh in the second Test of the series, starting 27th September.