"His fitness is not up to the mark" - Danish Kaneria on Rishabh Pant's weight issues
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has raised questions about Team India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant's fitness. He feels that the 24-year-old's weight issues are having an impact on his batting and 'keeping.
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Danish Kaneria said that Rishabh Pant is lagging in terms of fitness when compared to other players. He pointed out that while Rohit Sharma is also not supremely fit, his case is different as he is a pure batter.
The former cricketer suggested that Pant will only get mentally tougher once he improves his overall fitness. He also highlighted how the youngster hasn't been squatting properly while keeping wickets to the pacers in recent games.
He stated:
"Rishabh Pant's fitness is not up to the mark and is very low. I would say it's rather mediocre. There was a massive change in terms of the team's fitness standards when Kohli took over the captaincy. But Pant is lagging behind when compared to others."
"Although Rohit Sharma's too isn't very fit, he is a batter, and it is fine for him. But Pant has to improve his fitness as he is a wicketkeeper. Even at this young age, we've seen how he hasn't been able to crouch properly while keeping in recent games. This is due to his weight issues. It has an effect on his flexibility too. He plays with an approach of hitting the bowlers right from the onset. Mental toughness and maturity will also only come with fitness."
Rishahb Pant will next be seen in action during India's upcoming England tour. The rescheduled fifth Test between the two cricketing giants is set to be played from July 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
#TeamIndia Test squad for the fifth rescheduled Test against England 👇👇
#ENGvIND https://t.co/USMRe0kj1i
"He will have to fight for his place in the team" - Danish Kaneria on Rishabh Pant
Kaneria added that India's veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik is still very fit, even though he is 37. He reckoned that Pant would have to be more consistent in his performances as there are a lot of other players waiting in line for their turns.
He explained:
"When you see Dinesh Karthik, he is super fit even at this age. We've seen that in his batting as well as wicketkeeping. Pant may have scored 70-odd in the warmup game, but he hasn't been consistent and his graph is going down. He will have to fight for his place in the team as there are other options like Dinesh Karthik, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson."
Rishabh Pant standing tall 👏👏
Pant brings up a brisk half century as Leics move to 176/6 and trail by 70 runs
📸: @leicsccc https://t.co/tU3u6PpdSb
It is worth mentioning that the Delhi keeper-batsman struggled during India's recently concluded five-match T20I series against South Africa. However, much to the delight of his fans, the left-hander impressed with his 76-run knock in the warmup fixture at Leicestershire.