Former Indian player turned commentator Aakash Chopra said that star India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been dealt a rough hand in white-ball cricket ahead of the series against the West Indies as well. Pant is not part of the Indian
ODI team for the three-match series, starting September 27 as well.

When he was asked about Pant’s Team India white-ball future, Chopra said on the Aakaashvaani Instagram handle: “It looks like the management has already made up their mind on his white-ball future. You do feel that it’s not fair. He has played only one ODI in three years. He was part of the 2025 Champions Trophy squad but did not play. Yet, the team won while he was warming the bench. There was an opportunity for him to play against South Africa, but they played Ruturaj Gaikwad in the middle order instead.”

READ HERE: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On ODI Futures Of Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli

He further added, “Now he has been dropped altogether from the ODI squad. He has also been stripped of vice-captaincy in Tests. So he has clearly been demoted. It seems unfair to me because he has not been given enough opportunities in ODIs to make up your mind. One match in three years is not good enough. Why did you keep him in the scheme of things if you felt he wasn’t good enough?”

However, Aakash Chopra still believes Rishabh Pant could return to the Indian white-ball team, considering the likely changes in the team management as well.

“Is it the end? I’ll say no, for the simple reason that Ajit Agarkar is leaving, and with him, one or two others might also leave. With this change, there might be a change in mindset also. That way, you might see Pant back in the scheme of things. A very good IPL season, a new selection committee, and a new chairman could change things, and Pant could be back. But for that, he has to score runs in the IPL. It has been a long time since he has had a good IPL season,” Aakash Chopra concluded.