"Maybe because he is slightly overweight and bulky" - Danish Kaneria questions Rishabh Pant's fitness after 4th T20I vs SA
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has his doubts about whether India's stand-in captain Rishabh Pant is fully fit for the ongoing T20I series against South Africa. Although India have won their last two games, Pant's form with the bat has been ordinary to say the least.
The southpaw has scored just 57 runs from the last four innings and is frequently falling in the off-side trap set by the bowlers. Kaneria has pointed out that Pant hasn't been crouching enough in his stance, which might have affected his batting.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, the 41-year-old questioned whether Pant just standing and not crouching enough is due to a lack of fitness:
"I want to talk about Rishabh Pant's keeping. I have noticed one thing that when a fast bowler is bowling, he doesn't crouch and sit down. He keeps standing. Maybe because he is slightly overweight and bulky, he can't come up that quickly, and he doesn't have that much of time. He just stays bent back and low, he doesn't sit down properly. I think that shows a little concern over his fitness. Is he fully fit?"
Rishabh Pant speaks up on criticism https://t.co/oW9zLlYIrV
Just give a break to Rishabh Pant: Danish Kaneria
India are set to play a one-off Test against England from July 1 in Edgbaston. Pant has been an important part of the Test team so far. However, Kaneria believes the 24-year-old needs some time away from the game to get back to his best.
According to him, KS Bharat or even Wriddhiman Saha could replace Pant. On this, he stated in the video:
"Pant will have to improve his batting style. There is KS Bharat available and I don't see any wrong in bringing in Wriddhiman Saha. Just give a break to Rishabh Pant."
Dinesh Karthik's incredible half-century in the previous game will definitely put him in contention for the T20 World Cup XI. This will bring even more pressure on Pant as Karthik is also safe with gloves.