'He's lost a lot of weight and he's looking so good, so fit' - Sunil Gavaskar praises Rishabh Pant's physical transformation

Star India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is going from strength to strength upon his comeback to competitive cricket earlier this year. After suffering multiple injuries in a life-threatening car accident in December 2022, Pant took 14 months to return to action.

He played some enterprising knocks for Delhi Capitals during the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and also looked extremely sharp behind the stumps. The wicketkeeper-batter was deservingly picked in the Indian side for the T20 World Cup 2024 and has been showing glimpses of why he is rated so highly in world cricket.

The legendary Sunil Gavaskar pointed out how Pant is looking leaner than before and lauded the amount of work he has put in to get into great shape for the rigours of the sport. Pant looked in sublime touch against Afghanistan on Thursday, June 20, in Barbados. He hit four boundaries during his knock of 20 off 11 balls before falling victim to Rashid Khan. The 26-year-old also took three catches on the field as India won by 47 runs, defending a target of 182.

"It's a miracle, you know? I mean, we all were so concerned when we heard about the accident. We heard about the severity of the injuries and we were all praying for him just to be ok. But not only has he been ok, he's come back so strongly. He's lost a little bit of weight, which was probably needed and it looked at one stage that he was just maybe getting a little overweight. He's lost a lot of bit of weight and he's looking so good, so fit," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

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"Look at his mobility. Those two catches that he took, he was. He ran about 20-30 yards. I know the ball was up in the air, but there was Rohit Sharma there, one of the safest pairs of hands in the game. But wicketkeeper's gloves are always much safer than ordinary hands, you know, plain hands. So he was there and again recognising the situation," the former India legend added.

Rishabh Pant is maturing with age: Sunil Gavaskar

Notably, Rishabh Pant tried to play a reverse sweep off Rashid but was rapped on the pads and given out LBW. The southpaw asked for the DRS but to no avail. Gavaskar noted that the flamboyant batter would mature with age.

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"This is the maturity that is so important. We've seen it with Hardik Pandya, we are seeing it in Rishabh Pant's cricket. The maturity of understanding conditions. Yes, batting wise, he will still continue to play the game. That's exactly what you want because he's a naturally attacking player and he can upset the bowler totally. That's what he did. He didn't score too many runs. He got 20 in about 10 deliveries at a SR of 200 but that is exactly what you want at that stage," Gavaskar concluded his assessment.