Here’s the reason why Rishabh Pant has been dropped from the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka
Rishabh Pant (Image Credit: Twitter)
Ahead of India’s upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka, Rishabh Pant has been dropped from the ODI and T20I team. The left-hander has been sent to the National Cricket Academy. It was reported that he was carrying a niggle during the two-match Test series in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, his fitness has been a concern for the team, especially in the last few months.
His body weight has increased which has impacted his shot-making in white-ball cricket. Also, he is prone to injury due to being overweight. Meanwhile, an Indian Cricket Board official has said that even though Pant is a general talent, his batting form in white-ball formats is disappointing. The official added that the Indian team’s coaching wants him to be more fit and agile.
“Without any doubt he is one in generation kind of player. But unfortunately his form this year has been disappointing in both ODI’s and T20’s. The coaching staff wants him to be more fitter and agile. He has been asked to train at NCA”, confirmed a top source in the Indian Cricket Board.
Talking about the left-hander, he hasn’t been in his best form in white ball since hitting his maiden ODI hundred. In July this year, the wicketkeeper batter hit his maiden ODI hundred against England this year. Since then, he hasn’t been able to hit a fifty across white-ball cricket. Not to forget, he wasn’t favored as the first-choice wicketkeeper batter in the Asia and 20-20 World Cups this year.
Also, his performance on the New Zealand tour was a forgettable one. It will be interesting to see how he makes a comeback in the side with a few more series coming up next.
Squads
India’s squad for Sri Lanka T20Is
Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.
India’s squad for Sri Lanka ODIs
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.
