Ever since the BCCI announced young talent Rishabh Pant as former India skipper MS Dhoni’s successor, things have not turned out good for the 22–year-old wicket-keeper batsman.
Pant has been criticised by fans and cricket pundits, be it for his batting, wicket-keeping skills or be his role when it comes to reviews. The Delhi lad had to again face a lot of criticism after team India lost the series opening vs Bangladesh.
Former Australia cricketer Adam Gilchrist believes the Indian fans should avoid comparing Pant with Dhoni.
"I'm not big on comparisons, like I have said before. I think Indians fans shouldn't be trying to compare him to Dhoni. Dhoni has set such a high benchmark. One day someone might match it but it is probably unlikely," Gilchrist said on the sidelines of a promotion event by Tourism Western Australia.
"Rishabh looks like a very talented young player. Just don't put too much pressure on him too early and expect that he's going to produce Dhoni-like performances every day," he added.
The 47-year-old further said: "My advice to Rishabh Pant will be: learn everything you can from Dhoni. Don't try to be Dhoni. Just try to be the best Rishabh Pant you can."
The former Australian wicketkeeper acknowledged that Test criket has a "strong passive" following.
"Test cricket in this day and age will always have challenges because in a fast-paced world, five days of Test cricket doesn't seem a natural fit. It is surviving on the back of the innovations of T20 and earlier one-day cricket. There's a room for it," he said.
"Hopefully, the players' intent to play Test cricket remains the same for a long time."
Gilchrist further dwelled on the idea of Day-Night Test and World Test Championship and hoped that the efforts made by the ICC in reviving red-ball cricket would bear fruit.
"I think why the ICC has come out with Test championship to add meaning to each and every Test…It will be very interesting to see whether the fans and the players find it relevant over the cycle," Gilchrist said.
"I am not sure it will get more fans attending Test matches. I think the days of consistent crowds of Test cricket are probably gone. The big marquee series like India-Australia and the Ashes will still garner a decent crowd. There's still a very strong passive following of Test cricket. But, according to him, efforts should be made to keep Test cricket engaging both for the fans and players. So, we have to wait and see whether the Test Championship and Day-Night Tests are well and truly here to stay," he added.