Rishabh Pant's passionate response to Australia's surprising switch on Virat Kohli, as Travis Head rejects Steve Smith's decision

The statement that Kohli is Australian can be seen as both a straightforward compliment and a slightly backhanded one, but there is certainly some truth to what Smith said. However, in a surprising turn of events, Smith's Australian teammate Travis Head recently claimed that Rishabh Pant embodies Indian traits with an Australian twist, suggesting a shift in perspective among the Australian cricket team.

"The Indian cricketer I believe is most Australian would be Rishabh Pant. I think the way he goes about his aggressive nature and his work ethic would make him very enjoyable to play with," Head, who promises to be one of India's biggest threats, said during an interaction Star Sports.

Pant loved the gesture from the Australians and reacted to the clip with a fire emoji on Instagram. After all, the Aussies know Pant pretty well by now. He was the difference the last time India toured Australia in 2020/21 and beat them 2-1 with back-to-back impactful innings. He scored a pulverising 97 in Sydney, allowing India to draw the Test and then cracked an unbeaten 89 in Brisbane as India breached the fortress of Gabba. The series prior, Pant blasted his Test second century and the first on Australian soil with a blistering 159 not out at the SCG.

A post shared by Star Sports India (@starsportsindia)

Head's opinion was echoed by Mitchell Marsh. Australia's T20I captain wishes Pant was an Australian as he feels he has all the characteristics required to be a true Aussie. His aggressive batting, daring attitude, a few verbal volleys here and there… Pant is box office. If there's ever a rising star who can take that baton of entertainment from Kohli, it's Pant. Making his comeback to the Indian Test team after almost two years, Pant began with a bang, peeling off a belligerent century against Bangladesh in Chennai, and he will settle for nothing less than being part of India's hat-trick of series wins Down Under.

"He's a ripping bloke. I wish he was Australian. He's obviously been through a lot over the last few years, and it's been a hell of a comeback. He's a positive guy, still really young, and he loves winning. He's highly competitive for someone who has the persona of being relaxed and always laughing and smiling. He's got that big smile," Marsh pointed out.