Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt questioned Rishabh Pant’s fitness after the Indian wicketkeeper-batter failed to capitalize on his quick start in the ongoing first Test between Bangladesh and India in Chattogram.
Pant played a blazing knock of 46 off 45 balls, but lost his wicket to Mehidy Hasan. Reacting to his dismissal, Butt said that the left-hander is overweight, due to which he is struggling to execute those innovative shots he is trying to play and getting out.
Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel: “Rishabh Pant was playing the way he likes to, but he went for something innovative and got out. It was a weird dismissal as the ball hit the bat, pad before rattling the stumps. I always speak on Rishabh Pant's fitness because the kind of shots he plays and tries to innovate, it would be easier for him execute those shots if he was fit.”
He further said that the Indian star is not fit enough to play international cricket. The veteran batter feels Pant must work on his fitness and reduce his weight, as it will help him play those innovative shots and longer innings for Team India.
He added, “I think he is overweight. Definitely, he is overweight and because of that, he is not very agile. He is under the level where he should be, in terms of fitness.”
Notably, Team India set a target of 513 runs for Bangladesh in the first Test thanks to centuries from Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara.
