Former Pakistan cricketer raises questions on Rishabh Pant's fitness

India's Rishabh Pant is having a tough time as a player and a captain in the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa. As a batter, Pant has only managed to score 57 runs in four games at an average of 14.25 and a strike rate of 105.55. This includes just the four fours and two sixes. As a captain, he hasn't had a good time as well.

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In the first two T20Is, he was criticized for his tactics which is why the Men In Blue lost the first two games. Currently, the series is levelled 2-2 as the hosts came back strongly. Meanwhile, talking about Pant's batting, he has been repeatedly getting out on the wide deliveries outside the off-stump.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has pointed out that the left-hander is bit overweight. Kaneria explained that Pant doesn't squat lower and sit on his toes which is why he doesn't stand up quickly. However, the fifth-highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in the longest format has said that players such as Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya have supported him well.

Also, the former Pakistan player is hopeful that Pant could be the first captain to win the first T20I series against South Africa at home. For the unversed, the only time India won a T20I series against South Africa was in 2018 when the then Virat Kohli-led went on the rainbow nation tour.

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“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. 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,” said Kaneria on his YouTube channel.