‘Rishabh Pant could be dropped from the ODI squad ahead of the New Zealand series.’ Over the last few days, this particular line has been on the front-pages of numerous portals and newspapers. If that is truly the case, then what could be the reasoning behind such a move by the selectors? In this context, let’s try to bring together the connecting points of the aforesaid topic and explore different layers.
One of them could be his not-so-good record in ODIs – he averages 33.5 in that format. Consequently, in the 2025 IPL, his strike rate was just over 130. To delve deeper, just consider one of the games from that IPL – Rajasthan Royals versus Lucknow Super Giants.
In that match, Pant was dismissed for 3 off 9 deliveries, with at least 6 deliveries angled across off-stump from over the wicket. A couple of those offerings were on and around middle and off-stump and short of a length. The plan was clear – Force Pant to target areas from covers, to square of the wicket and third man, with set fields on the off-side. Here, a quick question flashes in the mind – If this was the case, then why doesn’t he appear restricted in Test cricket? The logic behind it could be that the fields are a lot more defensive in limited-overs cricket. The lines and lengths too are more defensive in shorter formats.
Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan, the player tipped to replace Pant as the back-up wicketkeeper in ODIs, seems to have branched out his hitting prowess in the recent past, exemplified by his strike rates of 152.58 in the 2025 IPL, 197.32 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and a whopping 320.51 in the only match that he has played in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. To make matters worse for Pant, Dhruv Jurel also crunched an imposing 160 versus Baroda in the List A competition. Incidentally, this wicketkeeper-batter was also a part of the ODI set-up versus South Africa.
On second thoughts, is there more to it than what meets the eye? The whispers going around is Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, and Pant don’t exactly have a good rapport. Perhaps we are speculating a little too much, but it just brings to the fore a different layer to Pant’s likely non-inclusion.
A decade or so ago, during the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, Pant was billed as the one with a wider range of shots compared to Kishan. But the time clock stops for none. In present times, the narrative has kind of flipped in the abridged versions of the game. Yet, if the selectors do leave out Pant, it seems a tad unfair on the wicketkeeper-batter, considering the fact that he has played a solitary ODI, since his return from a tragic accident, last year.
