Rishabh Pant Expresses Open Disappointment On India Ouster

Rishabh Pant last played an ODI two years back. PC- XAs the BCCI picked a strong ODI squad for the ongoing series against West Indies, Rishabh Pant was sidelined despite Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson being already busy with the Asian Games 2026.Pant has been out favours from last two years, despite a part of the 2025 Champions Trophy winning squad and a gun batter in Test cricket. Meanwhile, he has been named the captain of the Rest of India squad for the upcoming Irani Cup.Rishabh Pant on losing white-ball spotWhile addressing the limited opportunities Rishabh Pant is getting, the wicketkeeper said it takes a lot mentally and affects his mental health, but his athlete mindset helps him overcome it. “Definitely, you feel bad when something like this happens. But an athlete’s mindset allows you to feel that when there’s a setback, there is always a comeback. These are things that, as an athlete, you have to deal with in your day-to-day life. People say this happened to me, that happened to me, but for an athlete, this is part and parcel of the game. But at the same time, you know how hard you’re working, and you’re clear in your path to maintain at this level,” Pant said on the Business of Sport podcast.Read More: The Thinking Behind Dhruv Jurel’s Selection And The Race For A World Cup 2027 SlotHe added that people often find it easier to criticise, judge, or give opinions about someone’s work than to do the work themselves.“To make it happen every day, there is a voice in your head that is very constant in a very disciplined manner. The only thing is it’s easier to pass opinions all the time, but at the same time, people have to wait for things to happen.”Despite Test greatness, Rishabh Pant struggles in white-ball cricketRishabh Pant was a front-runner to be the second-choice keeping option after KL Rahul in the ODI format, and the first choice for the shortest format, till 2024. However, due to inconsistent performances, he never secured a permanent spot in the white-ball formats.On his day, Pant can take away the game from any opposition single-handedly, but those innings have been limited in white-ball cricket. Overall, he has scored just 2080 runs combined in ODI and T20I cricket, amassing just a solitary century and eight fifties in 93 outings. On the contrary, the wicketkeeper batter has been a superstar in red-ball cricket, where he scored 3725 runs in 90 innings, averaging a north of 40, with eight hundreds and 21 half-centuries to his name.How can Rishabh Pant's presence benefit India in WC 2027?Although his white-ball and red-ball numbers differ starkly, Rishabh Pant has the potential to be a gung-ho cricketer across all formats, as he has repeatedly proved in the IPL. With the 2027 World Cup nearing, a player with Pant’s ability will only benefit Team India, as he can turn tables whenever he wishes, especially on big occasions. Read More: Jos Buttler Says Brendon McCullum’s Removal As Test Coach A Blessing For England