Rishabh Pant's ODI Future Uncertain as Selectors Make Decisions

Rishabh Pant’s name is still inked boldly in India’s Test plans. In ODI cricket, it now feels like it has been rubbed out.

Left out of India’s 15-member squad for the three-match ODI series against West Indies later this month, Pant has instead been asked to lead the Rest of India side in the Irani Cup. Two very different roles. One very clear message.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes the selectors have already taken a call on Pant’s immediate white-ball future.

“A very strange and very unique case,” Chopra told Jio Star, summing up the wicketkeeper-batter’s current reality. Pant remains a central figure in the red-ball setup, yet his standing has shifted sharply across formats. He lost the Test vice-captaincy, but still sits in the heart of India’s plans for the longer format. In ODIs, Chopra says, the door looks close to shut — at least for now.

Test Pillar, ODI Outsider

Pant’s importance to India’s Test team is underlined by that Irani Cup captaincy. The Rest of India role is not a consolation prize; it is a signal. The selectors see him as a leader, a long-term pillar in red-ball cricket, someone around whom the next cycle can be built.

The contrast with his 50-over career is stark.

Pant has never truly owned a permanent place in India’s ODI XI. Across the last four years, he has played just one ODI. One. For a player of his talent and profile, that number tells its own story.

His omission from the ODI squad for the West Indies series comes as India begin to shape their roadmap for the 2027 ODI World Cup. This is not a random bilateral series in isolation. It is the first brushstroke on a long-term canvas.

Chopra reads it exactly that way. For him, Pant’s continued Test backing and simultaneous ODI exclusion are not conflicting signals; they are a split verdict.

“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 said.

Pant’s T20I status tells a similar story. After India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, he was dropped from the shortest-format squad as well. Across both white-ball formats, the reset has been ruthless.

New Leaders, New Battles

While Pant watches from the outside, a new leadership group takes charge in ODIs. Shubman Gill will captain India in the three-match series against West Indies, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also part of the squad. KL Rahul steps in as vice-captain, replacing Shreyas Iyer, who has been diverted towards India’s Asian Games campaign.

Behind the stumps, the contest is heating up. Dhruv Jurel is among the wicketkeeping options in the group, another reminder that Pant no longer walks into a white-ball XI on reputation alone.

The series itself is spread across three venues:

• September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram,
• September 30 in Guwahati,
• October 3 in New Chandigarh.

For some, it is just another India–West Indies ODI leg. For others, it is a trial that could define the next World Cup cycle.

The Race To 2027

Chopra is already looking beyond the immediate series. The competition for spots, he says, will only intensify as India build towards the 2027 World Cup.

“You have to think about who you can take along as reserves for the World Cup,” he pointed out. That is where the battle lines are being drawn.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad sit right in the middle of that fight. Both are in the current squad. Both have piled up runs whenever given a chance. Both know there may not be room for everyone once the World Cup squad tightens.

“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.

At the other end of the spectrum lies a different kind of wait. Fast bowler Auqib Nabi has been travelling with the team but has yet to crack the playing XI. Chopra is eager to see what happens when that door finally opens.

“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.

A Clear Split In Formats

By the time India wrap up not just the ODIs but also the T20I leg against West Indies — five matches running from October 6 to October 17 across Lucknow, Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru — the outlines of the next cycle may look sharper.

Pant, for now, stands on two very different tracks. On one, he is captain of Rest of India, a symbol of faith in his red-ball genius. On the other, he is absent from both ODI and T20I squads as India sketch their white-ball future without him.

The selectors have drawn their lines. The question now is simple: can Rishabh Pant force them to redraw the map before 2027?