‘You feel bad’: Rishabh Pant breaks silence on losing India ODI spot to KL Rahul

Rishabh Pant’s Test legacy continues to grow, but his place in India’s white-ball plans is increasingly uncertain. It has been over two years since he last played in an ODI for India, so his future beyond fifty is unclear.Pant has played significantly fewer ODIs than Tests and T20Is. In 31 ODIs, he has scored 871 runs at an average of 33.50, with his best being an unbeaten 125 against England in 2022. It remains his only hundred in the format, alongside five fifties.When India announced their squad for the West Indies ODI series, Pant was again left out. Being named captain of the rest of India for the Irani Cup would offer little consolation to the player, who was still hoping to make a comeback in India’s 50-over squad.Pant admitted the fall hurt but said setbacks are part of an athlete’s journey.“You definitely feel bad when something like that happens. But the mindset of an athlete allows you to feel that when you fail, there’s always a comeback. Those are things that you have to deal with as an athlete in your day-to-day life. People say that happened to me, the same thing happened to me, but for an athlete, it’s part and parcel at the same time you’re working hard, you’re your way to stay at that level,” Pant said on the Business of Sport podcast.“For that to happen every day, there’s a voice in your head that’s very constant and very disciplined. The only thing is that it’s easier to keep giving opinions, but at the same time, people have to wait for things to happen.”Pant’s absence from the 2023 World Cup follows an accident that ruled him out of professional cricket for a year. In his absence, KL Rahul has established himself as India’s premier wicketkeeper-batsman in ODIs.The competition for the goalkeeper slot has only increased. Ishan Kishan, despite holding the record for the fastest ODI double century, has not established himself as an integral part of India’s 50-over side, while Dhruv Jurel is also part of the West Indies ODI squad.Pant’s T20I prospects are also less certain. Sanju Samson is India’s main wicket-keeper in the format and was named player of the tournament in the T20 World Cup, while Ishan also took over the wicket-keeping role when Samson was not in the playing eleven.Pant has also not made a particularly strong case with the bat in the last two seasons of the IPL. In IPL 2025, he scored 269 runs at an average of 24.45 and a strike rate of 133.17, with his campaign including a century in the last league match. The following season he made 312 runs at an average of 28.36 and a strike rate of 138.But Pant remains determined to force his way back.“There is no doubt that I have to do it because for me I feel I haven’t had the best opportunities to give my best but at the same time international cricket is changing. Sometimes you have to wait for a chance and do things,” Pant added.

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