The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to drop star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant from India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. World No. 1 ODI team India will face the Black Caps in a three-match ODI series from January 11 to 18. The series opener is scheduled to take place at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on January 11, and the next two 50-over matches will be played on January 14 at Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah Stadium and on January 18 at Holkar Stadium in Indore.
According to a report in Sports Tak on Sunday, Pant is all set to be dropped from India’s ODI squad for the last home series of the 2025-26 season.
Pant, who is leading Delhi in the ongoing 2025-26 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, was India’s
second-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the three-match ODI series against South Africa earlier this month, but the 28-year-old cricketer from Delhi didn’t get a chance to play in any of the three matches.
He last played an ODI match for the Men in Blue on August 7, 2024, against Sri Lanka at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The BCCI selectors are expected to announce India’s squad for the three ODIs this week.
Shubman Gill is India’s ODI captain, and he missed the ODI series against South Africa due to a neck injury. But he has recovered from that injury and is all set to lead the Men in Blue against Michael Bracewell & Co.
As per the available information, in place of Pant, Ishan Kishan could earn an ODI call-up after more than two years. Ishan, who was picked for the T20 World Cup 2026 on December 20, last played an ODI for India on October 11, 2023, against Afghanistan during the 2023 ODI World Cup match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Ishan has been playing exceptionally well lately. He finished as the highest run-getter in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025 and also led Jharkhand to their first-ever title win in the premier domestic T20 tournament. In the final of SMAT 2025, Ishan scored a century against Haryana in Pune. He maintained his super show with the bat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well and completed a century in just 33 balls for Jharkhand against Karnataka on December 24. The century by Ishan in 33 balls is the second fastest century in List A cricket by any Indian batter.
