No one can replace him: Ian Chappell reckons Rishabh Pant's absence will hamper India's game-plan

Pant has a great record against Australia [Associated Press]

Former Australian cricketer, Ian Chappell believes that Rishabh Pant's absence during the Border-Gavaskar series will seriously hamper India's chances.

Team India will face a litmus test when Australia tour the Asian country for a four-match Test series. Australia already have one foot in the WTC final, and India need to win at-least three Tests to secure a place in the WTC mega event.

Ahead of the series, India received a major setback when it was announced that star keeper-batter, Rishabh Pant will miss most of the 2023 due to injuries he suffered in a car accident last month. 

The 25-year-old suffered multiple injuries and will take time to recover.

Ian Chappell lauded Pant and stated that no batter can replicate what Pant does on the field.

“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,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.

Chappell also reckons that in the absence of Pant, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli need to find a way to tackle the spin threat of Nathan Lyon.

"One of the main tasks for Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara will be to establish mental superiority over Lyon. If Australia can't rely on Lyon claiming regular wickets at an acceptable rate, their bowling will then depend greatly on the "big three"," said Chappell.

The Australia tour of India commences from February 9, with the first Test taking place in Nagpur.

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