Rishabh Pant or Mohammad Rizwan? Danish Kaneria’s fiery verdict on bigger star debate goes viral

Former Pakistani cricketer Danish Kaneria has recently given a fresh perspective on the debate over who is the bigger player between Mohammed Rizwan and Rishabh Pant with an eye-opening statement.

The two dynamic wicketkeeper batters from India and Pakistan have been cricket fans go head-to-head with their brilliant performances across the formats. Both Rizwan and Pant possess huge talent through the bat and gloves.

Rizwan has been one of the core members of Pakistan's top order due to his consistency and gritty knocks. In recent years, he has been the backbone of Pakistan in T20Is, especially with skipper Babar Azam in partnerships.

Danish Kaneria weighs in on the battle of best wicketkeeper between Mohammad Rizwan and Rishabh Pant

On the other hand, Rishabh Pant has been India's X-factor. His very courageous, attacking style of play has won several games for India across the formats. He can turn a match on his head in any situation making him a constant threat to the opposition.

Well, Kaneria highlighted Rizwan's performances under pressure, especially on the biggest stage. However, he didn’t give a clear answer but went deep into the question of who delivers when it matters most. During the high-stakes group match in the T20 World Cup 2024, India faced Pakistan in New York, and Rizwan found himself in a tense situation.

The former Pakistan spinner highlighted how the Indian captain Rohit Sharma made a decisive move, bringing Jasprit Bumrah into the attack specifically to target Rizwan. The atmosphere was electric, and all eyes were on Bumrah, who was brought in to shatter Pakistan's hopes.

The move worked, as Bumrah bowled Rizwan for 31 runs off 44 balls to completely shift the momentum in India’s favor, and the T20 World Cup champions eventually beat Pakistan by six runs while defending a paltry 120 runs in the group match.

Rizwan’s inability to handle the kind of pressure Bumrah brought to the table and counter the fiery Indian pacer raised questions by Kaneria about his ability to deliver in big matches. On the other hand, Rishabh Pant has enjoyed such moments largely, thanks to his aggression and boldness.

Pant or Rizwan, who stands taller under pressure?

According to Kaneria, it's not simply a matter of statistics or technique when you choose a bigger player, but it is a matter of who stands tall when the stakes are the highest and who can deliver when the team needs him most. However, his statement was a clear answer that Rishabh Pant is a far better player than Rizwan.

Danish Kaneria said on Sports Yaari Network: “If I say Rishabh Pant, you ask me, why not Rizwan? Because when the runs matter the most for the teams, he doesn't make runs for the team; that's the only problem I have. Because you know in the 2024 T20 World Cup, when Rizwan was on the crease, Rohit Sharma deliberately brought Jasprit Bumrah on the bowling attack. Since Rizwan was on the strike, Rohit knew that Bumrah should take the wicket of this guy.

It was obvious. You hit such a sweet ball. I mean, what is this? I mean, your batsmen, you are not able to get runs against even Axar Patel. You are taking two runs, one run, and you are trapping them on each other. You are facing a fast bowler, whom the captain deliberately brought to take your wicket. And you say, You brought it; take my wicket. Thank you.”

Rishabh Pant >>>> Mohd Rizwan
Agree?
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— Sushant Mehta (@SushantNMehta) September 16, 2024