England’s national cricket team rising star Harry Brook has heaped praise on India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for his bold and aggressive approach. Pant, known for his fearless batting style, came in to bat with India struggling at 66/3 against Australia at Adelaide and wasted no time by charging Scott Boland, who had just dismissed Virat Kohli for 11 runs. Pant launched Boland over mid-off for a boundary, setting the tone for his innings right from the first ball.

Brook, who was named Player of the Match after scoring 123 and 55 in the second Test against New Zealand, likened Pant’s style to the 'Bazball' approach adopted by the England Test team since 2022 under the leadership of Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.

"I don't know if you saw Pant last night run down the pitch first ball - to have that sort of courage to get off the mark first ball is something that we have done exceptionally well over the last couple of years," Brook said, praising Pant’s audacious intent. He added, "We say it all the time - we're out there to score runs. We're not there to survive." 

England’s ‘Bazball’ approach has been hailed for its attacking style of play, though it has also faced criticism from some cricket pundits, especially as England have yet to secure a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. However, Brook believes that this fearless style, much like Pant’s, is essential for modern Test cricket, keeping teams on the front foot and constantly applying pressure on the opposition.