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Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels the Indian selectors may have already decided on Rishabh Pant’s immediate future in white-ball cricket.
Pant was not picked in India’s ODI squad for the upcoming West Indies series, even though he has been named captain of the Rest of India team for the Irani Cup.
Chopra believes the selectors still have a major role in mind for Pant in Test cricket, but his absence from the ODI squad suggests that his place in the 50-over team has changed.
“Rishabh Pant is a very strange and very unique case. While he is playing Test cricket and is a very important member of the red-ball side, he was stripped of his vice-captaincy duties there as well. But in ODI cricket, without playing, he’s been bid goodbye,” Chopra told Jio Star.
“At the same time, he has been made the captain of the Rest of India (ROI), which also tells you that, with respect to red-ball cricket, they are very serious about Rishabh playing a huge role in the longer format. But for white-ball cricket, as of now, I think this selection committee has made up its mind,” he added.
Pant’s ODI Place In Doubt
Pant has never been a regular member of India’s ODI team and has played only one 50-over match in the last four years.
The wicketkeeper-batter was also dropped from India’s T20I setup after the team won the 2024 T20 World Cup.
His latest ODI omission has come at a time when India have started looking ahead to the 2027 ODI World Cup. Shubman Gill will captain the team against the West Indies, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also included in the 15-member squad.
Dhruv Jurel is one of the wicketkeeping options in the team, while KL Rahul has been named vice-captain. Shreyas Iyer, who previously held the role, will represent India at the Asian Games.
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Chopra On India’s ODI Competition
Chopra also spoke about the competition for places in India’s ODI squad, particularly with the team looking to build a strong group of players before the 2027 World Cup.
“You have to think about who you can take along as reserves for the World Cup. So, there will be a toss-up here between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who are both part of this team, and whenever they’ve played, they’ve scored a lot of runs. So, I’m looking at an opportunity opening up for one of these two,” Chopra said.
He also backed Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi to make an impact if he gets an opportunity in the playing XI.
“Auqib Nabi has been travelling with the team for some time now but isn’t getting a chance to play in the XI. If he gets his opportunity, I’ll be quite excited to see him perform,” he added.
India vs West Indies ODI Series
India’s three-match ODI series against the West Indies will begin in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27. The second ODI will be played in Guwahati on September 30, while the final match will take place in New Chandigarh on October 3.