Pakistan great insults Rishabh Pant with "Indian Shahid Afridi" claim, before backtracking

Former Pakistan National Cricket Team skipper Mushtaq Mohammad surprisingly compared the star India National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant to former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

Mushtaq Mohammad labelled Rishabh Pant as "Indian Shahid Afridi", but was quick to realise his blunder and declare the India National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batsman far superior.

Rishabh Pant vs Shahid Afridi in Test cricket

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi was a decent player who managed to survive in international cricket for a very long time and played 524 matches for his nation.

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He was mainly known for his heroics in white-ball cricket, as his red-ball numbers are quite poor. Afridi played Test cricket from 1998 to 2010 and scored 1716 runs at an average of 36.51 in 27 matches, and with the ball, he bagged 48 wickets at an average of 35.60.

Talking about Rishabh Pant, the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman made his Test debut in 2018 and has already played 45 matches. He has scored 3290 runs at an average of 44.45 and has already smashed centuries in Australia, England, India, and South Africa.

Also Read: Watch: Rishabh Pant and Gautam Gambhir's team politics caught on camera

Rishabh Pant is the Indian Shahid Afridi, in fact, he is even better - Mushtaq Mohammad

Former Pakistan skipper Mushtaq Mohammad recently attended Day 4 of the second Test match between India and England at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Speaking to PTI, Mushtaq Mohammad showered rich praise on Pant and compared him to Shahid Afridi. However, he was quick to add that Pant is a far better player than Afridi. Although he likened Pant to Afridi to praise the Indian player, the fact can't be ignored that the former Pakistan player was quite inferior.

"Rishabh Pant is the Indian Shahid Afridi, in fact he is even better than Afridi when he has a bat in his hand,” Mushtaq said.

Mushtaq also talked about Virat Kohli's shocking retirement from Test cricket, stating that the batter should have continued for two more years

“Kohli could have still played for another two years. He should be here with the Test team. Don't know why he retired,” Mushtaq said.

I would love to go to the place where I was born and grew up in - Mushtaq Mohammad

Mushtaq Mohammad, who was born in Junagadh in Gujarat, migrated to Pakistan along with his brothers at the age of six. He was seen wearing a tie featuring the Indian flag while attending the match in Birmingham and revealed his desire to return to India, which has not been possible because of the tensions between the two nations and the visa issues.

“I would love to go to the place where I was born and grew up in. The nearest I came to visiting Junagarh was when I played the Dilip Sardesai benefit game in Ahmedabad. I could have taken the train to Junagarh but the schedule was so tight. Unfortunately, I could not return after that. I could not go back. That remains an unfulfilled wish,” Mushtaq added.

Also Read: Rishabh Pant officially retained by this franchise after IPL 2025 disaster with LSG