'He can emerge as a model, earn in crores' - Shoaib Akhtar wants Rishabh Pant to lose some weight

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has heaped praises on Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, calling him a fearless cricketer. He also spoke about the range of shots that the southpaw possesses and his influence in some of India’s famous wins in the recent past, including the ODI series win against England this month.

 However, the former Pakistan speedster also feels that Pant is overweight and hopes that is taken care of. He also called the 24-year-old “good-looking” and reckons that he can emerge as a model and earn big bucks. “Rishabh Pant is a fearless cricketer. He has the cut shot, pull shot, reverse sweep, slog sweep and paddle sweep,” Akhtar said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Whenever people become superstars in India, a lot of investment is made: Shoaib Akhtar

“He won the (Test) match in Australia, he won the match here (in England) and took India to a series victory single-handedly,” added the former pacer. “He is a little overweight. I hope he takes care of that. Because the Indian market is big. He’s good-looking. He can emerge as a model, earn in crores. Because whenever a person becomes a superstar in India, a lot of investment is made on them.”

Pant was instrumental in India’s five-wicket victory over England in the series decider in Manchester on July 17, in which he scored an unbeaten 125 off 113 balls while chasing a total of 260. That was his maiden hundred in the format and second on the tour. He was subsequently named the Player of the Match and helped India clinch the series 2-1, which was also their first ODI series win in England since 2014.

In the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, he was once again the Player of the Match in the series decider in Gabba, Brisbane, and helped India win the series 2-1. India were chasing a target of 328, and the foundation was initially laid by opener Shubman Gill’s 91. But it was Pant who took the team over the line, scoring 89 runs off 138 balls. He is currently India’s highest-ranked batter in Test cricket.