The ongoing five-match T20I series between India and South Africa has been a mixed bag for Team India skipper Rishabh Pant. While he has been criticised for his individual performances with the bat, Pant's captaincy in the previous two games paved the way for a brilliant comeback.
Ahead of the all-important series-deciding 5th T20I between India and South Africa, former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has questioned Rishabh Pant's fitness, calling him 'overweight'.
The Southpaw's batting performances in the ongoing series have indeed left a lot to be desired, with many experts including Sunil Gavaskar slamming Pant for his reckless shot selection.
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That being said, his captaincy in the absence of seniors such as Rohit Sharma, former captain Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul has been drawing him plaudits, particularly in the past two games as India staged a stunning comeback to level the series after losing the first two games.
The spotlight will be on Pant again as India gear up to take on South Africa in the series finale on Sunday at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. Speaking about the clash on his YouTube channel, Kaneria claimed that he noticed something odd in Rishabh Pant's wicketkeeping technique, and it could be due to the fact that he is 'bulky' and 'overweight'.
"I want to talk about Pant's wicketkeeping. I've noticed one thing – he doesn't squat lower and sit on his toes when a fast bowler is bowling. Seems like he is overweight and being bulky doesn't give him that much time to come up quickly. It raises concern over his fitness," stated Danish Kaneria.
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The tainted Pakistani spinner added, "Is he 100 per cent fit? But when it comes to his captain, bowlers and batters including Hardik and Karthik have supported him well. Pant also has a chance to become the first captain to win a T20 series against South Africa."
While Rishabh Pant has had his fair share of critics, the youngster will definitely be hoping to silence his doubters with a big knock, that's long overdue now.
