'He has succeeded in all aspects' - Zaheer Khan happy with Rishabh Pant’s progress after return

Whether Rishabh Pant will make it to the upcoming T20 World Cup was the biggest question ahead of the 17th edition of the IPL. The question still persists but the southpaw so far has shown his calibre and has made himself as one of the favourites to feature as a keeper-batter in the Indian team for the upcoming mega tournament, which is slated to begin in June.

Reflecting on Pant’s progress in the cash-rich tournament, former cricketer Zaheer Khan stated that he had doubts if the 26-year-old would make the most of the opportunity after a long break but is happy to see him succeed as a leader. The 45-year-old added that he is happy with Pant’s progress as a keeper and also sharpened his skills with the bat.

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“I am happy with his (Rishabh Pant's) progress. I was not confident how he will fare after such a long break ahead of the IPL. But in the last 6-7 matches his progress, his leadership, skills and wicket-keeping succeeded in all aspects,” Zaheer said while talking to Jio Cinema.

Notably, Pant has hit 210 runs in seven matches so far at a strike rate of 156.71. Among Indian keeper-batters, Sanju Samson and Dinesh Karthik have better numbers than him this season.

Zaheer addresses Hardik Pandya situation

Newly-appointed Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya has faced a lot of flak in IPL 2024 and has been booed at both home as well as away. Addressing the situation, Zaheer mentioned that the all-rounder or the franchise cannot do anything about that and believes that only Hardik can solve the problem with his performance.

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“This is just a different aspect of franchise cricket. 17 years ago when IPL started we never knew how it will be treated or received but now fans have become loyal to franchises. Franchise cricket is evolving. There is no better way to deal with this than let your game speak,” he said.