Wicketkeepers Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel could be on their way out of the Indian ODI squad. According to a Sportstar report, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is considering bringing back Ishan Kishan as the reserve wicketkeeper-batter behind KL Rahul, which could see Pant miss out on that role.
The report said Kishan’s recall is being backed by his performance in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) and the view within the committee that he should be given adequate time to settle back into the Indian dressing room following a two-year absence. The Jharkhand captain, who has an ODI double century for India while opening the innings, batted in the middle order and scored a brilliant 125 in his only VHT game so far.
Kishan was earlier
included in India’s squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup after leading Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title as the top run-scorer.
The report said there is an opinion within the panel that a senior player like Pant should not be dropped without being given opportunities, but concerns remain among sections of the selectors and team management over his ability to consistently control his shot-making in shorter formats. Pant is captaining Delhi in the VHT and has only managed one half-century in four matches.
The selection committee is scheduled to meet virtually on Saturday to finalise the squad for the New Zealand ODI series. The report said that with the captain Shubman Gill returning — he missed the last ODI series due to injury — Jurel would likely miss out after serving as a reserve batter during the South Africa ODI series.
Gill is also expected to attend the selection meeting, as per the report. This suggests that the meeting would likely happen in the evening, with the ODI skipper set to play in the VHT for Punjab against Sikkim in Jaipur from 9am IST.
Meanwhile, vice-captain Shreyas Iyer is likely to remain unavailable, with his comeback delayed as he is yet to receive medical clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) after suffering an abdominal injury during the Australia tour in October.
