India National Cricket Team keeper-batter Rishabh Pant hasn’t got an opportunity to play in the ongoing ODI series against England National Cricket Team. He warmed the bench for the first two games as KL Rahul was preferred over him.
Pant, who is touted as one of the biggest match-winners for India, last played an ODI game against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team. The keeper-batter was included in the side after KL Rahul struggled to score runs in the first two games, but he, too, failed.
With Pant being regular in the Test team and also getting a nod ahead of KL Rahul in the T20 World Cup 2024, it was expected that the left-hander might get an opportunity in the ongoing series. However, it wasn’t the case, as in both the games, KL Rahul played.
KL Rahul failed to score runs in the first two ODIs against England, registering scores of 2 and 10
However, KL Rahul hasn’t cashed in the opportunity, as he bagged failures in both games. In the first match, the right-hander managed just 2 runs off 9 balls and it was expected that he would make a big impact in the second match, which took place at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.
KL Rahul had a perfect opportunity to take India home as set batters got out during the fag end of the innings. However, in what was another poor outing, the keeper-batter was back in the hut after scoring just 10 runs. Thankfully, it didn’t cost the team much as they won the match with 4 wickets in hand.
With KL Rahul getting out early, Rishabh Pant, who was sitting in the dugout, looked absolutely dejected. The Southpaw looked emotional, and even Ravi Shastri, who was commentating, wasn’t happy with the way the left-hander was sitting on the bench.
Watch: Rishabh Pant looks emotional in the Indian dugout
Ravi Shastri said: I’ve really been thinking about the composition of a side. You have a man like this (Rishabh Pant) sitting on the bench and warming it.”
Here’s the video:
They broke my guy man 😭😭. You can’t be sitting out this man for a part time wk who bats like a tailender. pic.twitter.com/wKzaxH16UT
— Sourabh (@1handed6) February 9, 2025
Rishabh Pant has a decent record in ODIs
Rishabh Pant has a decent record in ODIs, but his ability to single-handedly win the matches makes him unique. The keeper-batter has an average of over 33 and has slammed 871 runs to go with 5 half-centuries and one century in his career so far.
With one more game remaining in the series, there are chances that team management might try Rishabh Pant ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. But with the kind of performances that KL Rahul displayed in the ICC World Cup 2023, it will be very hard for the team to go past him.
Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Haris Rauf ruled out of the tournament? PCB delivers update
