IND vs WI: Why Was Rishabh Pant Omitted from India's ODI Squad? The Inside Story on White-Ball Plans

India left Rishabh Pant out of the ODI squad for the West Indies series, with Dhruv Jurel called up. Pant will captain Rest of India in the Irani Cup, while team management reportedly pointed to his limited white-ball impact in the selectors' plans.

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Rishabh Pant's Exclusion From India's ODI Squad

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, picked up the squads for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against West Indies, starting on September 23. The selectors met in New Delhi on Wednesday to finalise the roster for the home series against the Caribbean side.

The BCCI selection committee also announced the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup against Jammu and Kashmir, the reigning Ranji Trophy champions, and the five-day tournament will take place on October 1. The T20I squad will be led by Shreyas Iyer, while Shubman Gill will continue to captain the ODI side.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retained their place in the ODI squad, while Dhruv Jurel was added as a second-choice wicketkeeper-batter since Ishan Kishan will be at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan, and Jammu and Kashmir pacer Aquib Nabi earned his maiden ODI call-up. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal also returned to the 50-over squad.

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No Rishabh Pant in India ODI Squad

As the BCCI announced the squads for the T20I and ODI series against West Indies, Rishabh Pant’s exclusion from the 50-over setup caught many by surprise, especially with regular backup option Ishan Kishan unavailable due to national commitments in Japan.

Instead, Dhruv Jurel was added as backup wicketkeeper for KL Rahul, who is expected to take up the primary gloves behind the stumps for the upcoming series. However, Rishabh Pant was appointed Rest of India squad captain for the upcoming edition of the Irani Cup against the defending Ranji Trophy champions.

Since Rishabh is a crucial member of India’s Test setup and remains central to the red-ball leadership group, the team management and selectors opted to give him the captaincy reins for the domestic marquee clash to keep him sharp in multi-day cricket.

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Why Pant was Omitted from ODI Squad?

Rishabh Pant’s exclusion from India’s ODI squad for the upcoming series against West Indies became a topic of debate, as he has been out of the 50-over setup since August 2024, when he made a solitary appearance against Sri Lanka.

According to the report by the Press Trust of India, the reason behind Pant’s non-selection to the ODI squad was his limited impact in white-ball cricket. The report suggested that ‘important members of the team management’ felt that Pant had not been able to fully utilise his abilities in white-ball cricket, which influenced the selectors' decision to leave him out of the ODI squad.

Since Rishabh Pant’s horrific car accident in December 2022, KL Rahul has firmly established himself as the primary choice behind the stumps in the 50-over format, making it harder for other contenders to break into the playing XI.

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Not-So-Impressive Showing in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Following his last ODI appearance in August 2024, Rishabh Pant’s next List-A appearance was in the last season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He made his return to the tournament after seven years of absence because of his international commitments.

However, Pant had a modest outing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 212 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 42.40 and a strike rate of 112.76 in seven matches, numbers that ultimately fell short of providing the compelling case needed to disrupt the established middle-order and wicketkeeping combination.

In his ODI career, Rishabh Pant has aggregated 871 runs, including a century and 5 fifties, at an average of 33.50 and a strike rate of 106.21 in 31 matches.

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Why was Dhruv Jurel included in the ODI Squad?

Dhruv Jurel is often considered for Test resurgence and multi-day formats. However, the Uttar Pradesh wicketkeeper-batter’s inclusion in the ODI squad for the series against West Indies stemmed from his stellar domestic List-A numbers, including the last season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

In the VHT 2025/26, Jurel has aggregated 558 runs, including 2 centuries and 4 fifties, at an average of 93.00 and a strike rate of 107 in seven matches. This was his best List A performance, as he continued to anchor the innings with composure and consistency. Interestingly, Jurel has featured only in 17 List A matches and amassed 747 runs at an average of 74.70.

Dhruv Jurel received his maiden ODI call-up for India’s white-ball tour of Australia and was a replacement for injured Rishabh Pant for the New Zealand ODI series.