Rishabh Pant not to be preferred by Virat Kohli for Australia tour due to 'weight issues'?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will soon announce India’s squad for their high-profile tour to Australia. In recent development, it appears that Rishabh Pant is likely to be excluded from India’s squad due to “weight issues”. According to a report by the Times of India, the BCCI and the Indian team management is laying emphasis on the fitness of players ahead of the much-awaited India vs Australia 2020 series.

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Rishabh Pant’s fate hangs in balance for India vs Australia 2020 series

A source close to the BCCI recently told the aforementioned publication that the Indian team fitness management shared their perspective on Rishabh Pant a few days ago. The source further said that Indian team trainer Nick Webb thinks the cricketer is overweight. Apart from the obvious issues, the BCCI and the Indian selectors will soon be taking a fitness report on Rishabh Pant and are likely to consult about the cricketer’s selection with Indian captain Virat Kohli as well. The selectors will also be speaking with Nick Webb before making their final decision about Rishabh Pant.

Rishabh Pant was part of the Indian touring party in Australia that lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy back in 2018-19. He also struck a classy 159* in the fourth Test, which helped Virat Kohli and co. to seal the series in their favour.

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India vs Australia 2020: Likely candidates for India’s wicketkeeping slot

Apart from the “weight issues”, Rishabh Pant has also been struggling with the bat in the ongoing Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season. Meanwhile, other contemporary wicketkeeper-batsman like Punjab skipper KL Rahul and Rajasthan’s Sanju Samson have showcased better consistency in run scoring. Given their recent form, the two cricketers are likely to be considered for the limited-overs segment of the India vs Australia 2020 series.

Test specialist Wriddhiman Saha is likely to be selected for the four-match Test series which will run from December 2020 to January 2021. In October 2019, Virat Kohli even maintained that Wriddhiman Saha is the “world’s best wicketkeeper” at the moment for Test cricket.

Rishabh Pant in Dream11 IPL 2020

So far in the ongoing Dream11 IPL 2020 season, Rishabh Pant has played eight matches for the Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi franchise. He has scored 217 runs in the process at an average of 31. Pant is yet to register a 50-plus score and his highest score of the season remains his 17-ball 38 against Kolkata on October 3.

Rishabh Pant’s highest score of Dream11 IPL 2020 season, watch video

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Image source: ICC Twitter