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The big story coming out of the selection committee meeting was Rishabh Pant. And let me add a caveat at the outset: whatever I write, some trolls will brand it as PR! Only, it will be pro bono PR for Pant, because neither he nor anyone else, for that matter, would ever dare offer me a penny for my pieces. It is the new social media playbook – whatever you write is labelled PR.
I am concerned for Pant. That he has talent is well known. But it does seem he is frustrated and not thinking clearly. To use expletives during the presentation comes from a sense of frustration, and it has started to show. Losing the red-ball vice-captaincy must have hurt him, and this is when he needs to be backed, not castigated.
Ishan Kishan was in a similar mental predicament a couple of years ago. Out of the Indian team and with nothing going right for him, he fought his way back with strong domestic performances and has now cemented his place in the Indian T20 team, while also making a comeback into the 50-over set-up. Kishan can be someone Pant takes heart from.
In sport, it is never say never, and even more so when age and talent are on your side. What he needs at this point is a period of introspection. After the Afghanistan Test, it might not be a bad idea to spend some time taking stock of what he needs to do before getting back to the grind.
Pant has received a lot of hate over the last few days. That’s how social media works – people want to trample on someone who is down. It is the nature of the beast, and it gives poison a platform. While social media discourse should not be taken too seriously, one thing is instructive: very few questioned Pant’s omission from the white-ball team. It was almost a given that it could happen, and no one was surprised.
That’s what Pant has to see and learn from. He cannot let this omission and the removal from vice-captaincy affect him. Rather, he should focus on his batting and wicket-keeping in red-ball cricket and make some telling contributions for India over the next six months. With Tests against Sri Lanka and New Zealand lined up, which will decide India’s WTC fate, Pant has a great opportunity to do something stellar. That’s what he needs to do to get away from the negativity of this IPL campaign.
Pant is someone who sets high standards, and now that his team, LSG, has failed in back-to-back seasons, he might well take it upon himself and sink further. That’s the real worry, because it could impact his red-ball game as well. In 2025, he turned things around and had a fantastic England tour, which was unfortunately cut short by a toe injury. He needs to do so again in 2026 and make things count. Pant may well be down, but he certainly has the potential to ensure that he is not out. At least, not yet.
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