'He's an X-factor player' - Zaheer Khan feels Rishabh Pant will make an impact in Champions Trophy 2025

Indian cricket has several talented players in the setup who are already regarded as the future of the team. One of the players who has established himself as a big match winner in the setup is 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant.

Rishabh Pant is still very much in the mix right now. He was recently announced as captain of Lucknow Super Giants and will also travel to Dubai with the national side for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. There are experts who have given their opinion on Pant and the future he has in Indian cricket. Former world champion pacer Zaheer Khan talked about the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar hero, his future as a captain and also if he is capable of making an impact in the Champions Trophy. 

Also Read: WATCH: Fan touches Rishabh Pant's feet at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot

“I was mentioning earlier when I saw him in his early days. Since then I was very clear that this player is special - definitely a captaincy material. See, he's definitely gonna evolve as a captain. We are there to guide him, to support him and to mentor him so that he can get better and better. I have no doubts that he's got a lot of things to offer and his contribution to cricket is going to be immense.

"He's on that journey, he's very determined, very excited and we're going to make sure that he evolves in the best possible way,” Zaheer said as quoted by Cricbuzz. 

“He's an X-factor player (On Pant performing in the Champions Trophy). So, when you are looking at having an X-factor player in your team, it's going to be an added advantage all the time. That's why the expectations are on him, and he's also determined. When you're looking at him and being part of the team, obviously he's there to make it count and have that impact,” Zaheer added.