Veteran cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Rishabh Pant would have to earn his place in Team India’s white-ball sides. He also said that Pant has been wronged a little in ODIs, stating that he has been dropped despite not being given proper chances as well. Notably, Pant isn’t part of the Indian team for the ongoing five-match T20I series against England, with Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson there. He hasn’t been picked for the three-match ODI series as well, with KL Rahul and Kishan being chosen for the wicketkeeping roles.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “Honestly speaking, the conditions aren’t very tough nowadays. There is a marginal difference. 220 runs are scored on extremely flat pitches in India, and 190 are being scored here (England) as well, and in ODI cricket, more than 270 runs are scored. So I don’t think that the conditions are so different.”

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“Rishabh Pant is an outstanding cricketer. He is a match-winner, game-changer, and X-factor in red-ball cricket, but in white-ball cricket, he has to earn his stripes. A little wrong is happening in ODI cricket because he didn’t get enough chances, and you dropped him despite that,” he added. “He is not even close in T20 cricket. It’s been many seasons since he has had a rockstar IPL. Until those things change, I don’t think you will see Rishabh Pant’s name even close to white-ball cricket,” he shared again.

However, Aakash Chopra also added that the selectors can’t be blamed for Rishabh Pant’s non-selection in India’s white-ball sides.

“You can’t even blame the selectors because there are many options now. If we had asked the same thing five years ago, we would have said what would happen if Rishabh isn’t there, as we would have to get KL Rahul to keep. Today, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan are there, and Dhruv Jurel is there behind them. Jitesh Sharma is there. You have got plenty of keeping options available. So I don’t think Rishabh Pant’s name would come that soon in white-ball cricket. The line is long, and Rishabh is standing a little towards the back in that queue,” Aakash Chopra concluded.