Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes the Indian selectors have made up their mind about Rishabh Pant’s immediate future in white-ball cricket.Pant was left out of India’s ODI squad for the upcoming West Indies series. However, he has been named captain of the Rest of India side for the Irani Cup.The 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 third match will take place in New Chandigarh on October 3.Chopra said the different roles given to Pant in red-ball and white-ball cricket show how India currently view the wicketkeeper-batter.
‘A very strange and very unique case’
Chopra said Pant remains an important player in Test cricket, but his place in the ODI team appears to have 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.He also pointed to Pant being named captain of the Rest of India side for the Irani Cup as another sign of his importance in red-ball cricket.“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 future unclear
Pant has never been a permanent member of India’s 50-over squad and has played only one ODI in the past four years. He was also dropped from the T20I team after India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory.His latest ODI omission comes as India start their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Shubman Gill will captain the team against the West Indies, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also part of the 15-member squad.Dhruv Jurel is among the wicketkeeping options, while KL Rahul has been named vice-captain in place of Shreyas Iyer. Iyer will be part of India’s Asian Games campaign.
Competition for World Cup spots
Chopra also spoke about the competition for places in India’s wider ODI group as the team prepares for 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 fast bowler Auqib Nabi to make the most of his opportunity if he gets one.“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 2026 – Full Schedule
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27 | 1st ODI | Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram | 2:00 PM |
| Sep 30 | 2nd ODI | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati | 2:00 PM |
| Oct 3 | 3rd ODI | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh | 2:00 PM |
| Oct 6 | 1st T20I | Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | 7:00 PM |
| Oct 9 | 2nd T20I | JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi | 7:00 PM |
| Oct 11 | 3rd T20I | Holkar Stadium, Indore | 7:00 PM |
| Oct 14 | 4th T20I | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | 7:00 PM |
| Oct 17 | 5th T20I | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:00 PM |
