Rishabh Pant labelled a superhuman by former Pakistan legend; James Anderson reverse sweep mentioned
Published - 20 Jun 2024, 01:25 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:14 AM
Former Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram has praised Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for making an incredible comeback after a serious car accident in December 2022. Wasim Akram described Rishabh Pant as an inspirational story for future generations, labeling him as a 'miracle child'.
Rishabh Pant made his comeback to competitive cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 after a 15-month absence. The left-handed batter made an impact with his batting and wicketkeeping skills during IPL 2024. Pant scored 446 runs at an average of 40.54 and a strike rate of 155.4, including three fifties.
The 26-year-old continued his batting form in the T20 World Cup 2024. The wicketkeeper-batter is the leading run-getter for India in the ICC tournament. Rishabh has scored 96 runs in three innings at an impressive average of 48.00 and a decent strike rate of 124.67 in challenging batting conditions in New York.
Rishabh Pant Is Proving He Is A Super Human - Aakash Chopra
In a conversation with Sportskeeda, Wasim Akram expressed admiration for Rishabh Pant's remarkable recovery and batting abilities. Akram stated that Rishabh is proving he is a superhuman, calling him a miracle child for his comeback and impactful contributions.
"Pant ki performance dekh rahe hai. Miracle jo iss ladke ne kiya hai, dikhaya hai ki he is superhuman. Jis tragedy se woh wapas aaya hai. Jis tarah se uska accident, maine clips dekhe the, we were all worried in Pakistan [The kind of performance Pant is giving after that accident, he is proving he is a superhuman. We saw the clips and all were worried about him],” Akram said.
"I was worried, actually maine tweet bhi kiya tha unke baare me. And he came back and he averaged 40 this year in IPL - 446 runs, a strike rate of 155. Woh toh miracle bachcha hai,” he added.
Rishabh Pant Is Special - Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator praised Rishabh Pant for his Test cricket performances, highlighting his century against Australia and his batting prowess against England. Akram specifically mentioned Pant's use of reverse sweeps against James Anderson and Pat Cummins.
"Jis tarike se usne Test cricket me performance di. Jo Australia me jaake usne 100 kiya. Phir uske baad England ke khilaaf usne batting ki. Test cricket me reverse sweeps, [James] Anderson ko, [Pat] Cummins ko. [The way he performed in Test cricket. He scored a century in Australia. Then he batted against England. In Test cricket, using reverse sweeps against [James] Anderson and [Pat] Cummins]. He is special," Akram further stated.
Rishabh Pant will next be seen in action when the Rohit Sharma-led team faces Afghanistan in a Super 8 match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday, June 20. The Men in Blue will then take on Bangladesh and Australia in their remaining two Super 8 matches on June 22 and June 24, respectively.
