New Delhi: Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has expressed his shock at the lack of debate surrounding Rishabh Pant’s spot in India’s T20I squad despite the left-hander being one of the best wicket-keeper batters around. Pant, who is currently recovering from an injury, has not been picked in India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025.
However, the fact that he was not even part of the conversations before the team announcement and is not being kept in plans for the T20 World Cup 2026 has left Chopra puzzled. Pant made his international comeback for India in the T20 World Cup last year, following a long layoff post his dangerous car accident in December 2022.
The swashbuckling left-hander earned his place in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad on the back of his impressive return for his former team, Delhi Capitals, in IPL 2024. Pant was in fine form in the T20 World Cup last year and finished as the third-highest run-getter for India with 171 runs at a strike rate of 127.61, including a match-saving knock against Pakistan.
Chopra feels Pant has been left out of conversations in T20Is like a fly is thrown out after being taken away from milk. However, the former India cricketer insisted that it could be down to Pant’s struggles in the IPL 2025, where he failed to live up to the expectations for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after being bought for a record sum at the IPL 2025 mega auction.
“When Rishabh Pant bats at Nos. 1 to 3, he has scored his runs at a strike rate of 156 and has an average of 34, which is good. However, we will not talk about the top three. When you look at Nos. 4 to 7, he has a strike rate of 140 and an average of 30. It’s still okay,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“The one thing that goes in his favour, and I am very surprised that no one talks about it, is that he was India’s third-highest run-scorer in the T20 World Cup we won. It seems like a fly has been taken out of milk and thrown away. No one is talking about him. Of course, the IPL not being that good might be one of the reasons, but not even coming into the conversation is a strange one,” he added.
LSG signed Pant for a record sum of Rs 27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction, making him the most expensive player in IPL history. The left-hander failed to repay the trust as he struggled throughout the season, managing only 269 runs at an average of 24.45. Pant’s record in T20Is for India is also far from impressive, as he has 1209 runs in 76 matches at an average of 23.25 and a strike rate of 127.26, including 3 fifties.
Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma ahead in race
Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma are both ahead of Pant in the pecking order for India in T20Is. Samson was India’s first-choice opener post the T20 World Cup last year and did exceptionally well alongside Abhishek Sharma. However, Shubman Gill’s return to the squad might see Samson bat in the middle order in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025.
Jitesh has also been selected in India’s squad for the Asia Cup after his impressive performances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025. Jitesh can be ideal for the finisher’s role for Team India in the tournament and it remains to be seen if he will manage to pip Samson as the first-choice wicket-keeper batter in the team.