‘Slightly overweight and bulky’ Kaneria shows concerns over Pant’s fitness

KARACHI: Former Pakistan leg spinner Danish Kaneria expressed concern for Indian captain Rishabh Pant over his physical condition, while calling him a bit overweight and bulky.

Kaneria expressed concern about Pant’s ground-keeping stance, stating that the issues with his ground-keeping were due to his weight.

“I have noticed one thing that when a fast bowler is bowling, he does not crouch or sit down. He is still standing,” Kaneria said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.

“Maybe because he’s a little overweight and bulky, he can’t climb as fast and he doesn’t have as much time. It just stays bent back and low, it doesn’t sit properly,” he stated.

Kaneria expressed concern about the physical state of the Indian skipper and questioned whether he was in top form.

“I think that shows a little concern about his physical condition. Is the Rishabh pant fully fit? she questioned her.

The 41-year-old spinner also criticized the left-handed batsman for his hitting and asked him to take a break to improve his batting skills.

“Rishabh Pant will have to improve his hitting style. There is KS Bharat available and I don’t see anything wrong with bringing Wriddhiman Saha. Just give Rishabh Pant a break,” he concluded.

Pant, who currently leads the Indian team in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, has been under enormous pressure for his batting form as he only scored 57 runs in four matches at an average of 14.25.

Meanwhile, he has been praised for his captaincy in returning to the series after being beaten in the first two games against the host.

The final T20I playoff match of the five-match series between the two teams will be played today.

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