Former Indian cricketer Syed Kirmani has urged Rishabh Pant to make crucial adjustments to his game and fitness if he hopes to reinstall himself as a regular across all three formats of the game. In the past two years, Pant has largely been limited to Test cricket. However, he continues to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but his absence from India's limited-overs setup has come as a surprise as he has been unable to reclaim a permanent spot in India's ODI and T20I squads. 

"Rishabh has to work hard on his physical fitness, consistency and temperament. His temperament is very vulnerable, turbulent. No player can say 'I am a born hitter, I have to hit every ball'. You might have that particular day when you get rid of every ball you want to hit. But you have to look into the circumstances, what format you are playing, and what the team wants you to do," Kirmani told PTI.

"Wherever Rishabh Pant is selected, he has to show his physical fitness, he has to show his performance. He has to show his consistency is better than the other wicketkeepers competing with him. That's it."

The wicketkeeper-batter was also involved in a life-threatening car crash incident back in 2022 that put him out of action for a lengthy period of 15 months. Following intense rehabilitation, Pant made his return to action ahead of IPL 2024.

"It's the unfortunate accident which he went through. In that process, all other wicketkeepers in the making came up one after another. They showed consistency in Test matches and ODIs wherever they were selected. They showed their ability to perform when it is required," Kirmani said.

"So, in that process, Rishabh Pant lost his little ground there during the recuperation of his accident. Now, he faces tremendous competition," he said.

"After the near fatal accident...it was a huge comeback for him. And he's taking some time. He is not showing that kind of consistency he had shown earlier in all the three formats," he said.