Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes the Indian selectors may have moved on from Rishabh Pant in the ODI format, despite continuing to view him as an important part of the Test team.
Pant was not included in India’s 15-member ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against the West Indies. However, he has been named captain of the Rest of India side for the Irani Cup, indicating that he remains a key figure in red-ball cricket.
Chopra pointed to the contrasting treatment of Pant across formats while discussing his immediate future in white-ball cricket.
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“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,” said Chopra in a recent interaction.
According to Chopra, Pant’s appointment as Rest of India captain underlines the selectors’ plans for him in Test cricket, while his ODI omission suggests a different approach in the 50-over format.
Pant has played only one ODI in the last four years and was also dropped from India’s T20I setup following the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.