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In a massive development, India national cricket team’s star keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI. series against the New Zealand national cricket team.
The development of Rishabh Pant being ruled out of the series against the BlackCaps was confirmed by Dainik Jagran reporter Abhishek Tripathi on Saturday (January 10).
Rishabh Pant set to miss New Zealand ODIs
Pant, 28, has been in the news for a while. Before the squad was announced for the series against New Zealand, several media outlets reported that the selection committee had made the decision to drop him in 50-over cricket.
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It was reported that Ishan Kishan, Jitesh Sharma and Dhruv Jurel were in the running to replace Rishabh Pant as the back-up keeper-batsman in the Indian ODI setup.
However, these reports were quashed after the squad was announced, with Rishabh Pant being retained as the back-up wicketkeeper with KL Rahul being the first choice.
With Pant being retained, there were hopes that he would finally get the opportunity to feature in the playing XI for the ODI series against the Kiwis. Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan even chose Pant over KL Rahul in his playing XI.
However, hopes of Pant starring in the series were dashed. In Saturday’s practice session, Rishabh Pant did some hard work in the nets and spent a lot of time.
However, at the end of the session, Pant was hit by a delivery and he cautiously left the field. Now it has been reported that the injury was serious and he has been ruled out of the New Zealand series.
If you don’t give Pant a chance, how will he be able to prove it? -Irfan Pathan
In a video shared on his official YouTube channel, Irfan Pathan said that Pant should be given the opportunity to prove himself in ODI cricket.
“Rishabh Pant has fallen behind other wicketkeepers like Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma, but he should get opportunities too, right? KL Rahul has cemented his place as an ODI wicketkeeper and is quite ahead, but if you don’t give Pant a chance, then how will he be able to prove? Irfan Pathan said.
New Zealand’s tour of India 2026 includes a three-match T20I series and a five-match ODI series. The BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara will host the ODI series opener on Sunday, January 11, and the second 50-over match will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Khandheri, Rajkot on Wednesday, January 14.
Meanwhile, the ODI series will conclude with the match at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 18.
Nitish Kumar Reddy should get more opportunities – Irfan Pathan
Apart from Pant, Irfan Pathan also demanded consistent opportunities for Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has been with the team for a while but is not playing regularly.
“Nitish Kumar Reddy should get more opportunities even if he fails. There are not many all-rounders who can bowl at 130 kmph and bat in the middle order. Hardik Pandya became the player he is today because he played consistently for the first 2-3 years. The selectors, team management and fans will also have to be patient with Nitish Kumar Reddy, just like they were with Pandya in the past,” added Irfan Pathan.
