India and Sri Lanka will take on 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs in January. For India, it will be an important series to kickstart the World Cup year. Interestingly, Rishabh Pant was not part of both squads. Here, we take a look at the reason why Rishabh Pant has not been selected in the India ODI and T20I squad for the Sri Lanka series.
Interesting selections made by BCCI
As expected, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were not included in the T20I squad. KL Rahul will be absent due to his marriage. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is also not part of the team. Hardik Pandya was named as the skipper while Suryakumar Yadav will be his deputy. Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar are two of the newcomers.
In the ODI squad, Rohit Sharma has returned to the setup while Hardik Pandya will be his deputy. This is despite KL Rahul being in the squad. The likes of Sanju Samson did not find a place in the 50-over squad. Shikhar Dhawan has not been included and it could be said that India has moved on. Ishan Kishan or Shubman Gill might open the batting for India.
#TeamIndia squad for three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.#INDvSL @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/iXNqsMkL0Q
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 27, 2022
#TeamIndia squad for three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.#INDvSL @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/XlilZYQWX2
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 27, 2022
Rishabh Pant is not part of the India ODI and T20I squad for the Sri Lanka series
As soon as Pant’s name was not found in the squads, rumours started floating around that he has been dropped. However, the player will be at the NCA to undergo a few strengthening sessions.
Update: Rishabh Pant has been asked to report to NCA next week for a couple of weeks. He has a knee niggle. Will undergo strengthening sessions. @BCCI
— Arani Basu (@AraniBasuTOI) December 27, 2022
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It is high time that Rishabh Pant steps up in the white-ball formats. In ODIs, he has been in decent form but in the recent series, it appeared that his T20 form is affecting his game. For India to do well in the World Cup, a left-hander is needed in the middle order. Hence, Pant’s form is vital for the squad.
