Rishabh Pant “changed the course” of three Test matches with his fearless batting, something which most players aren’t able to achieve in their entire careers, Ian Chappell said.

Pant’s 97 nearly changed the course of the Sydney Test which India managed to draw, while his 89 not out in Brisbane won them the series Down Under this January. Then, to top it up, he hit a hundred under pressure against England in Ahmedabad to help India clinch the World Test Championship final berth.

“Pant has produced three innings that changed the course of a Test with mature counter-attacking when the team was in trouble. Most players don’t contribute that many in a career,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.

Chappell also wrote that Pant, once criticised for his not so great glovework, did put up a commendable show behind the stumps during the four Test matches versus England. “Not content with just batting heroics, Pant has also evolved as a ’keeper when standing up to the spinners, going from fumbling to fabulous in the space of a few weeks,” he said.

But what Chappell feels made the difference between India and England was Pant’s daredevilry which had the Indian team management’s mandate, something that young English players like Dom Bess and Ollie Pope didn’t have. “Pant is a popular player in the Indian side and his spirit epitomises the team’s confident, attacking approach to the game.

“England have players who could provide a similar stimulus to their team. But what they lack is a conducive environment,” Chappell said.

“The two young Englishmen became more tentative as the series progressed. Pope was keen to use his feet, but as his backfoot continually craved the safety of the crease. It was obvious he was worried about being left stranded by the spinners.

“Bess appeared to be deflated by his omission from the Test team. With his confidence severely diminished, he bowled in the final Test, hoping that the ball would land on a good length rather than being confident of its destination,” Chappell pointed out.

Pant balancing caution with aggression and always looking for scoring opportunities has also impressed Chappell. “Meanwhile, Pant was scared of… well, nothing actually.

“The chirpy Indian ’keeper, armed with a supremely confident disposition, played each innings balancing aggression with appropriate caution. His approach of ‘see the ball and hit it’ is a simple one, but it’s fortified by the common sense-approach of always looking for opportunities to score.”

While Indian batsmen tried to find ways to score, their English counterparts seemed content with mere survival. That, Chappell feels, was one of the basic differences between the two teams in the Test series.