Don't compare Rishabh Pant with Dhoni: Adam Gilchrist

Former Sri Lanka captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara had credited his Australian contemporary Adam Gilchrist for forcing the world, including the selectors, to look at wicketkeepers from a different perspective.

Post the Gilchrist era, came the reign of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was more of a field marshal than a wicketkeeper-batsman. The Australian legend is now following Rishabh Pant's career with interest as the young batsman struggles to fill in the big shoes of his predecessor, Dhoni. During the recent India-Bangladesh T20I at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, which the hosts lost, Pant had to endure booing and shouts of 'Dhoni... Dhoni' as he erred in convincing captain Rohit Sharma to take a wrong DRS call.

Gilchrist was impressed by the 22-year-old keeper's exploits in the Sydney Test in 2018 where he scored an unbeaten 159. He also follows Pant's explosive knocks in the Indian Premier League. And perhaps, that's why he pleaded with all Pant critics not to compare the youngster with Dhoni, who is no longer part of India's scheme of things in the T20I format.

"That would be my number one suggestion to Indian fans—don't attempt to compare him to MS Dhoni. The mould they used to make Dhoni was smashed up so that there couldn't be another one after him,” Gilchrist said. “I know from personal experience, coming in after Ian Healy. Oh, I just didn't try to be Ian Healy. I wanted to learn from Healy but wanted to be just Adam Gilchrist. My advice to Rishabh, who I haven't spoken with since the Australia tour last year but have followed him, is that learn everything you possibly can from MSD but don't try to be MSD. Just try to be the best Rishabh Pant you can be."

Pant has been under scrutiny ever since he was paradropped by selectors in the middle of the ICC World Cup in England, in June-July this year. The selectors named him the first-choice wicketkeeper post the World Cup but the return of Wriddhiman Saha from injury saw the latter retain his place in the Test squad. Stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma, while speaking post the India-Bangladesh T20I match in New Delhi, backed Pant and called for patience with him as he was still very young and inexperienced.

The former Aussie skipper was happy that under Sourav Ganguly's leadership as the BCCI president, India were finally set to play Day-Night Tests. Australia and New Zealand had taken a head start over others but India were not keen on it while touring Australia last summer as they saw it as their best chance to win a Test series in Australia, who were without Steve Smith and David Warner. Gilchrist hoped that after playing their first ever Day-Night Test against Bangladesh later this month, India will agree to play a Day-Night Test against Australia when they tour Down Under in 2020. "Yeah, they are in [Australia] next summer after the T20 World Cup. I would expect a Day-Night Test match in there. I haven't heard from Cricket Australia but I hope there would be one."

Gilchrist, who admitted not being a great fan of such experiments with Test cricket in his playing days, said he is a convert and, having seen the responses, feels it's good for the longevity of the five-day format. "I was a reluctant starter, but now that it's here, I can totally see the positive outcomes that will help Test cricket stay relevant, and I think the players in this day and age have accepted it. There's going to be teething issues, particularly with the dew, working out what series, what venue—that will take a bit of time. People are prepared to risk a bit of change and if it doesn't work out, you simply say it hasn't. But, generally, around the world, all nations have found a way to make it work."

Gilchrist said his reservations were related to batting under lights and comparing the same to batting in broad daylight. "I used to be worried about the statistics of the game. Can you compare batting at night or twilight with batting in broad daylight on a beautiful day? It is different. We have covered wickets now, earlier we didn't. You didn't have helmets, protective gear earlier. Lot of things have changed over time. Eight-ball overs to six-ball overs. So, it's a game which has evolved over time. Test cricket is the main event and whatever it takes to keep it alive, I am now very supportive of it."

So, is he upbeat about the Test Championship as well? Gilchrist felt that while it gave context to players and fans, it may not necessarily guarantee more Test viewership. “The days of packed crowds for Test cricket are gone. I understand why the ICC is trying to make sure it means something even if it's two matches. It makes sure teams try to salvage something. It will be interesting to see whether players will find it relevant or fans do. I am not sure it will necessarily guarantee more people will attend Test cricket. I thinks days of big crowds consistently attending Test cricket are gone. The big marquee series of India Australia, Ashes will garner decent crowds but there is a very strong passive following for Test cricket. You don't have to be at the ground to follow Test cricket and in this day and age, with technology, you can get notification when a wicket falls, and get back to work. You won't miss anything."

He was, however, satisfied with the health of the game. "Game's going really well. Enthralling Ashes series, enthralling series between India and Australia last summer with India winning first time ever. Test cricket in day and age will always have some challenges because in a fast-paced world, five days of cricket just doesn't feel natural but it's surviving on the back of innovations of T20 and earlier ODI cricket. I sense the players still genuinely want to play Test cricket. They love playing 50-over and 20-over cricket but I think they all know that the real Test is the five-day game and that is the greatest test of skill and character and hopefully it will remain that way for a long time."

Speaking about the tournament which shall see India play at the new Optus Stadium on October 24 against South Africa, Gilchrist said the T20 World Cup—to be held in October 2020—was wide open."T20 is a format where you are not certain about any particular contest. England in white-ball cricket have been fantastic. NZ, too, and India. Australia have not shown much focus on T20 but with the tournament in their own backyard and with a full-strength team, it's quite a formidable line-up. They can be very competitive at home."

Gilchrist, who has also been involved with the IPL in the past as player and coach, said he would rather have game-changing ideas like super substitutes and Power Player tried out in domestic tournaments first before being introduced in the hugely competitive IPL. "As long as it is trialled, we as a cricket body have learnt that before you roll it out in the big tournaments like the IPL, which is a pretty serious tournament, it is better to trial it in lower competitions. T20 is a great arena for innovations and if it doesn't work, then we just go back. Super sub was trialled in Australia. I don't think it added much to the game especially from the spectator's point of view. The 100-ball game or game changers may possibly confuse viewers."

The conversation soon veered, expectedly, towards Steve Smith, who is in the form of his life since his return to international cricket this year after being banned for a year for ball-tampering. Gilchrist is looking forward to seeing the Aussie batting superpower make an impact in the T20 World Cup, too. "He will be a great floating option for Australia in T20s. I think he is comfortable in that position. His batting is at an unmatched level. We have seen all these great players go through these (purple) patches. Virat Kohli does it consistently. Sometimes he would go 4-5 matches with hundreds. Ricky Ponting did it. Smith is in an extraordinary run of results that is unsurpassed. We will all watch with interest how long he can maintain it."

Interestingly, today marks the 20th anniversary of Gilchrist's Test debut—against Pakistan in 1999 in Brisbane. He is in India as brand ambassador for Western Australia which is unveiling a plan to tap Indian tourists, keeping in mind the ICC T20 Men's World Cup next year. Accompanying him is Mark McGowan, premier of Western Australia, who is in India with a delegation to discuss tie-ups and plans to get Indian tourists to visit Western Australia.