Indian keeper-batter Rishabh Pant has opened up about his axing from the Indian ODI team, stating that he felt bad after being left out of the West Indies ODI series selection. Notably, KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel have been selected as the keeper-batters for the three-game series.
Speaking on The Business of Sport, Pant asserted that there is always a comeback whenever there is a setback for an athlete. Notably, Pant’s last ODI appearance came against Sri Lanka in 2024.
“So definitely, you know, you feel bad when something like this happens, but, you know, as an athlete, mindset, you know, like we always say that when there is a setback, there is always a comeback,” Pant said.
“You know, as long as these are things as an athlete you have to deal with in day-to-day life. You know, when people talk about this happened to me, that happened to me, I think, as athletes, this is part and parcel of the game. But at the same time, you know, as an individual, you know how hard you are working, how clear you are in your path,” he added.
It’s worth noting that Pant was included in the South Africa 2025 series and the ICC Champions Trophy, but he did not feature in the playing XI, with KL Rahul handling wicketkeeping duties. Currently, Rishabh is plying his trade for the Rest of India side in the Irani Cup 2026 campaign.
Rest of India squad for Irani Cup 2026: Rishabh Pant [C, WK], Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Sarfaraz Khan [VC], Smaran Ravichandran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal [WK], Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, Ayush Doseja.
