Hard for Rishabh Pant to go past MS Dhoni In terms of hero factor: Ian Smith

Ian Smith hailed Rishabh Pant for his attitude and the comeback which he pulled off. However, he felt that Pant cannot go past MS Dhoni in terms of the hero factor.

In Short

• Rishabh Pant makes a comeback to Test cricket for India
• He plays a 109-run knock in 2nd innings of 1st Test vs Bangladesh
• Pant equals MS Dhoni's record of most tons by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests

Former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith praised Rishabh Pant for his attitude and his never-say-die attitude. However, he doesn't rank Pant that highly for his work behind the wickets and found similarities with Australian legend Adam Gilchrist. Smith also said that it would be hard for Rishabh Pant to go past former India captain MS Dhoni in terms of the hero factor. Pant returned to red-ball cricket in style for India with a blazing hundred on the 1st Test between India and Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

"Rishabh Pantâ€æ 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," Ian Smith said on talkSPORT cricket show.

Pant's stellar return to Tests

"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."

Pant made a stellar comeback almost two years after the car accident in December 2022. He threw away his start after putting India in the 1st innings. However, he made the opportunity count in the 2nd innings for India by notching up his sixth Test century for India. He shared a 167-run stand with Shubman Gill, who scored an unbeaten 119 in the second innings.

Rishabh Pant vs MS Dhoni

With this hundred, Pant equalled MS Dhoni's record for most hundreds by a wicketkeeper batter for India, who also scored six tons in 90 matches.

Smith also weighed in on the ongoing debate over comparison between Pant and MS Dhoni.

"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 hero factor, it's pretty hard to go past MS," said Smith.