Rishabh Pant released from India’s ODI squad minutes before series opener against Bangladesh. Here’s why

Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been released from India’s ODI squad for the series against Bangladesh, the BCCI announced on Sunday.

The exact reason behind Pant getting dropped was not known but the release stated that the decision was taken after ‘consultation with the BCCI medical team’, indicating that the 25-year-old could be nursing a niggle.

“In consultation with the BCCI Medical Team, Rishabh Pant has been released from the ODI squad. He will join the team ahead of the Test series. No replacement has been sought. Axar Patel was not available for selection for the first ODI,” the BCCI statement read.

Pant’s place in the Indian team has been a subject of huge debate following a string of low scores. After scoring a match-winning century for India against England in July at the Trent Bridge Stadium in Nottingham, Pant has failed to conjure a single half-century with a highest of 44 against West Indies at Lauderhill. He has been struggling of late in T20Is, with scores of 14, 17, 20*, 27, 3, 6, 6 and 11 in the format. In the recently concluded ODI and T20I series, Pant’s slump continued as he scored 42 runs from four innings.

With Pant gone, KL Rahul is keeping wicket for India in the Dhaka ODI and will be batting in the middle order, with the star pair of Shikhar Dhawan and captain Rohit Sharma opening. That Pant could have picked up an injury was further hinted by Rohit at the toss, who mentioned that the team is dealing with a few injuries as fast bowler Mohammed Shami was already ruled out due to a shoulder injury.

“Some injures and few issues, we got four all-rounders playing. Washington, Shardul, Shahbaz, Deepak Chahar. Kuldeep Sen is making his debut. Myself, Shikhar and Virat up the order. KL Rahul will keep wickets,” the India captain said.

With the likes of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan breathing down his neck, Pant is aware he is up for some solid competition when it comes to the position of India’s wicketkeeper in the two white-ball setups. In a recent interview, Pant appeared visibly miffed at a question directed towards his forms in Tests and ODIs/T20Is, where he played down discussions of his comparisons.

Captain during the New Zealand ODIs, Shikhar Dhawan, however, backed Pant and explained the reason behind the team management persisting with him despite Samson doing well. “In Rishabh’s case, he played the one-dayers in England and scored a century there. And a player who gets a 100 gets backing. Everything is done keeping the larger picture in mind. If there is a match-winner, you have to back him. A decision is taken after analysing a lot of things,” Dhawan said during the post-match press conference.