The current BCCI Men’s selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, has received major flak from fans in recent times. Some of his calls have received huge criticism and it looks like another questionable verdict is on the way. According to various reports, the management is looking to replace Rishabh Pant with Ishan Kishan in the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, starting from January 11.
Kishan, who was a surprise pick in the recently named India T20 World Cup 2026 squad, is touted to be rewarded for his explosive performances in domestic cricket. The Jharkhand captain led his side to its maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and ended up as the leading run-getter with 517 runs and the highest six-hitter as well. Lack of runs behind Shubman Gill and India’s desire to have Rinku Singh back in the mix made Kishan’s way crystal clear into the T20I setup.
Why Pant shouldn’t dropped from ODIs
However, this cannot be said when it comes to one-dayers. This is not disregarding Kishan’s recent 33-ball century against Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) but it seems an out-of-place decision rather than a well-planned one. Agarkar’s selection panel did well but pivoting away from Shubman Gill in T20Is but having Kishan in ODIs looks like a forced change.
If axed, it would be an injustice to Pant, who has done nothing wrong. Just recently, he captained Delhi to two consecutive wins, hammering a quick-fire 70 in his latest List-A knock. While it is a fact that Pant hasn’t nailed down his spot in the ODIs despite making his debut seven years ago, he has rarely played since his unfortunate car accident.
To put things into perspective, Pant has played just one ODI in the last three years. Due to him being part of the Test side, Pant rarely gets time to play domestic cricket. On what basis is the management looking to drop him? Pant warmed the bench in the entire India vs England ODIs earlier this year. He didn’t get a game at the ODI Champions Trophy 2025. Similar was the case in the recent ODIs against South Africa, where KL Rahul was the captain.
Rishabh Pant vs Ishan Kishan record
| Player | Inns | Runs | HS | Average | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | 15 | 572 | 125* | 40.85 | 1 | 4 |
| Ishan Kishan | 14 | 607 | 134 | 43.35 | 2 | 1 |
Note: In the table given above, Pant’s 15 innings are spread across five years. Whereas Kishan has played 43 games in this period. Clearly, Pant has lacked game time in the 50-over format.
Yes, Kishan has the numbers but he has majorly played in domestic List-A matches rather than quality matches. Yes, he deserves a chance for sure but Pant as well. At least, give Pant a slew of matches to perform. You can’t carry a squad member from series to series and drop him without giving him a proper run time. It is surely not a wise cricketing decision. The management might have already burnt some bridges with Gill after leaving him out just before a home World Cup. Doing the same with Pant can backfire as well. After all, he is India’s Test vice-captain.
India’s Probable squad for IND vs NZ ODIs
Shubman Gill (c), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk)/Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana
