Rishabh Pant is like Quinton de Kock in the way he bats and keeps, says Adam Gilchrist 

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist has praised Indian skipper Virat Kohli and called him an absolute champion after his recent heroics with the bat in the ongoing Test series against England. After a disappointing tour of England in 2014, Kohli made amends for his failure four years ago as he piled on the runs in the series so far.

In the nine innings so far, Kohli has scored 593 runs in nine innings at an average of nearly 69 with the help of two centuries and made up for the failure in 2014. Unlike the other Indian batsmen, Kohli was at complete ease throughout the series as he batted with caution and aggression.

In 2014, he was troubled a lot by England's premier bowler James Anderson as he got out edging the ball often. This time, he did get out in that manner a couple of times but he curbed his attacking instincts for the balls that were outside the off-stump and is yet to get out to Anderson with just one innings to go.

Talking to the media during a PUMA event, Gilchrist, who is in Bangalore to take part in the KCC tournament which also includes former Indian opener Virender Sehwag, said, "Kohli is an absolute champion. I think the last England tour was the only time he was questioned of his abilities in a foreign land. He’s put that out of the equation now. He’s been really impressive even as India lost the series."

He also regarded India's wicketkeeper, Rishabh Pant, highly and compared him with someone like Quinton de Kock.

"He looks a very exciting cricketer. He’s a Quinton de Kock type player in the way he bats and keeps. And we see a number of exciting cricketers come through the IPL. He’s another one who’s produced the goods and he’s been selected for India. So, it’s an exciting time for him. And, the challenge will be to perform at that level. Hopefully, he gets a nice run in Tests," he added.

Pant, who has been in fine form for India A in the first-class format, was rewarded with a place in the Indian Test squad and was fast-tracked into the Indian playing XI. He got his Test career off to a great start as he opened his account with a six and took as many as five catches in his first innings as a wicketkeeper.

Since then, he has conceded 62 byes, 14 more than what he has managed to score with the bat. To be fair, not a lot of wicketkeepers would have stopped a majority of the balls from going to the ropes as the Indian pacers were a bit wayward with their lines.