Rishabh Pant last played a one day international for his country two years ago. That is the same as far as his T20 internationals go. On both occasions, his opponents were Sri Lanka, where a massive change
of guard has happened in the form of Kusal Mendis, now the all-format captain of the team. This, it is being hoped, will spark a new chapter, a fine new beginning for their game. But can one expect a brand new beginning for Rishabh Pant as well, who still plays just one single format and that’s red ball international, i.e., Test match Cricket? It’s the very format where Pant has already amassed 3725 runs, as on date at an average that’s north of 43.
But if you were to believe Pragyan Ojha, the Chief Selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) senior men’s national selection committee, then you’d be delighted to know the faith that has been reposed in his talent.
What has Pragyan Ojha said, therefore, about the famous left hander, who has taken just 90 innings to emerge with a strike rate north of 74?
Pragyan Ojha on Rishabh Pant via Shubhankar Mishra YT:
“Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal can fill Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s boots for Indian cricket. I believe that as you grow in Test cricket, your overall game improves with maturity. Test cricket presents a lot of challenges, and it helps you develop a better understanding of the game. The way Rishabh plays his cricket, we have already seen what he can do in the IPL, where he has scored runs and been a match-winner. I believe he will do the same in the future, and we will see that over the next one to two years. When you see such talent, you back it. You know that this spark can turn into a fire, and once that happens, there will be no one to compete with him”.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 21, 2026
Here’s what you ought to know:
Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal can fill Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s boots for Indian cricket. I believe that as you grow in Test cricket, your overall game improves with maturity. Test cricket presents a lot of challenges, and it helps you develop a better understanding of the game. The way Rishabh plays his cricket, we have already seen what he can do in the IPL, where he has scored runs and been a match-winner. I believe he will do the same in the future, and we will see that over the next one to two years. When you see such talent, you back it. You know that this spark can turn into a fire, and once that happens, there will be no one to compete with him”
It’s also heartening to note that Jaiswal, clearly one of the most talented batters out there, too has the faith of Mr Ojha, who’s sitting on such a critical post in the revered BCCI
