Former India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Rishabh Pant doesn’t merit a place in India’s playing XI in white-ball cricket now. He said that the irony of Indian cricket is that players who excel in one format need not necessarily get a place in the other formats, also due to the large number of options available.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “Even his number (just like Shreyas Iyer’s in Tests) will not come now. This is the irony of Indian cricket. It is also the most beautiful thing. You feel everyone can be kept. That means there is depth. That means there is variety. That means there are choices, and having choices is a great thing for India.  However, how will his number come now? It’s difficult. You see Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in ODI cricket, and then Hardik Pandya comes, and there is no space for him now.”

READ HERE: Jasprit Bumrah Opens Up On Dropped Catches Against England

However, Aakash Chopra also stated that Rishabh Pant is unlikely to get a place in India’s T20I side soon after, considering his poor show in IPL 2025.

“Even in T20 cricket, his number will come at some stage, but considering how the IPL went, it won’t come immediately, nor will he get a chance to play in ODIs immediately. It’s a very curious case of Rishabh Pant because the guy rules Test cricket, which is the most difficult format. He is one of the best that the world has ever seen. He is box office, an entertainer, and interesting,” he said.

“However, he is still lacking somewhere in understanding the DNA of the other formats, and that was evident in this year’s IPL as well. He did score a century for sure before leaving, but not the same thing. So his number will come, but just like Shreyas (in Tests), he will have to wait. The fruits of waiting are sweet,” Aakash Chopra concluded.