"No one can replace Pant's desire to dominate bowlers" - Ian Chappell reckons India will dearly miss the 'keeper-batter in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell reckons India will sorely miss Rishabh Pant and the excellent rate at which he scores runs during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Hence, Chappell believes the pressure will increase on the top-order batters to not only bat well, but also score briskly.

Rishabh Pant will miss the Test series against Australia after suffering a major road accident on December 30th while driving. The youngster sustained severe injuries to his back and forehead, for which he underwent a few surgeries. While the 'keeper-batter is on the road to recovery, he is likely to miss most cricket engagements in 2023.

In his column for ESPN Cricinfo, Chappell stated that it would be interesting to see how Pant's replacement performs and if he dominates the bowlers like the 25-year-old has done.

"India also have some points to prove, not the least to do with how how Pant's replacement performs. The main thing India will lose from Pant's unavailability is an excellent run rate, which came from his belligerent aggression. No one can replace Pant's desire to dominate bowlers, so India have to rely on their top batters not only performing but also maintaining a good strike rate."

The last two home seasons saw Pant shine with the bat and behind the stumps, becoming undroppable. In 2021, the left-handed batter hammered 270 runs in four Tests against England at 54, striking at 84.11. In early 2022, he smashed 185 runs in two Tests against Sri Lanka and kept a strike rate of 121.13.

"If India are able to limit Smith and Lyon's success they will be on the way to winning matches" - Ian Chappell

Nathan Lyon and Steve Smith. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Chappell further claimed that Australia's recipe for success relies on Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon and that India will have it easy if the duo don't fire.

"If Australia can't rely on Lyon claiming regular wickets at an acceptable rate, their bowling will then depend greatly on the "big three". The main task for India's bowlers will be to find a way to keep the heavy-scoring Smith quiet. If India are able to limit Smith and Lyon's success they will be on the way to winning matches."

He predicts the four-Test series to be one of the greatest in history, concluding:

"This series has all the makings of a hard-fought one, with very little between two excellent teams. These sides are two of Test cricket's dwindling number of really good teams, but it's hard to look past India for the eventual victors of this series."

Smith averages a daunting 60 in India and has scored 499 runs in four Tests in 2017, while Lyon has picked up 34 scalps in seven matches in India.