Apart from the comeback of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on Indian soil after a while, the build-up to the IND vs SA 1st ODI in Ranchi revolved around the batting order. Would Rishabh Pant walk straight back into India’s playing XI? KL Rahul’s eve-of-match comments suggested strongly that Pant would return, hinting that if he played, he would also take the gloves.
But when the teams lined up on Sunday afternoon, Pant was still on the sidelines. Instead, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s name was slated to bat at No. 4. Gaikwad was praised as a ‘top-class’ talent by Rahul as well but it has surprised many that he has straightaway walked into the lineup over the likes of Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma.
Gaikwad gets the nod, Pant continues to wait
Gaikwad, who has earned his recall on the back of strong performances in the recent South Africa A series in Rajkot, was given the opportunity ahead of Pant and Tilak Varma. The CSK captain scored 117, 68 and 25 in the three ODIs against South Africa A, giving selectors confidence to test him in the middle order. However, his runs came as an opener. Gaikwad has built his white-ball reputation as a top-order anchor, rarely batting below No. 3 in either ODIs or T20s.
Meanwhile, Pant not starting continues his uncertain run in the one-day format. Since 2020, he has played only 16 ODIs, scoring 525 runs, including a century and four fifties. His unfortunate accident cost him more than a year of cricket, and although he remains India’s best wicketkeeper-batter in Tests, he has not yet cracked white-ball consistency. His last ODI came in August 2024. Outside of his iconic 125* in Manchester in 2022, Pant has struggled to stitch together regular scores.
While Gaikwad deserved the chance based on recent form, many felt Tilak Varma may have been a more natural No. 4 option, offering long-term ODI value and off-spin utility. Pant, too, will likely get his chance with two games still to play.
India Playing XI for Ranchi ODI
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (wk/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
Bench: Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel
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