'Very strange and unique case': Ex-India cricketer opens up on Rishabh Pant's snub from T20I and ODI team for West Indies series
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'Very strange and unique case': Ex-India cricketer opens up on Rishabh Pant's snub from T20I and ODI team for West Indies series originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Aakash Chopra says India's selectors have moved on from Rishabh Pant in ODI cricket.
- Pant remains vital to the Test setup despite losing the vice-captaincy in that format too.
- Chopra sees a toss-up between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad for a reserve World Cup spot.
Rishabh Pant's exclusion from the West Indies' white-ball squad remains a strange case
Rishabh Pant's standing across India's three formats has rarely looked as confusing as it does right now, and Aakash Chopra believes the ODI squad announcement for the West Indies series has finally made the strangeness explicit. Pant was left out entirely, even as he continues to be treated as a central figure in India's red-ball plans.
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The timing sharpens the point. Pant was named captain of the Rest of India side for the Irani Cup around the same time the ODI squad was finalised, a leadership role that sits oddly alongside his exclusion from a format in which he has barely featured over the past four years.
Speaking to JioStar ahead of the series, Chopra set out why he sees this as India quietly settling a question about Pant's white-ball future. His comments arrive as India shape their squad heading into the 2027 ODI World Cup, with Shubman Gill leading the side and both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli included among the 15 named for the series.
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What Aakash Chopra said about Rishabh Pant's ODI exclusion
Chopra described Pant's situation as unlike anything else in the current Indian set-up, given how differently the selectors are treating him across formats. "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," Chopra said.
He then pointed out that the situation is completely the opposite for white-ball cricket. "But in ODI cricket, without playing, he's been bid goodbye," Chopra said. He believes it is evidence of how India's thinking differs from format by format given Pant's role as skipper for the Rest of India squad in the Irani Cup.
"At the same time, he has been made the captain of the Rest of India, 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," he said. "But for white-ball cricket, as of now, I think this selection committee has made up its mind."
However, one thing to consider is that the keeper has never been a 50-over mainstay to begin with. He last played an ODI way back in 2024, and his T20I stint has also been dry since India's 2024 T20 win. Now with KL Rahul as the primary skipper for ODIs and Dhruv Jurel as the backup keeper in the West Indies tour, it's clear that selectors have moved on from Pant.
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Why Chopra sees a bigger opportunity for Jaiswal and Gaikwad
Beyond Pant's situation, Chopra noticed the broader competition building within India's ODI pool as the side works out its reserve options for the World Cup. He named two players in particular whose returns have consistently justified more opportunities. "You have to think about who you can take along as reserves for the World Cup," he said.
Chopra continued, "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." But it's not just active players who are on Chopra's radar.
He was quick to point out Auqib Nabi, who was there as a reserve player in the Sri Lanka Test series. Chopra believes that the youngster could get his moment soon enough as well. The three-match West Indies series will soon clarify whether Pant, Gaikwad and others belong on the national squad.
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