Rishabh Pant Set To Be Axed From New Zealand ODI Series, Ishan Kishan In Fray: Reports

BCCI hasn't announced the ODI squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, scheduled to start from January 11. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are expected to be in the squad to face the Kiwis in the white-ball format.

Rishabh Pant Could Be Dropped From New Zealand ODI Series

Ahead of the 2027 World Cup, BCCI's ODI plans might head towards a new direction. As per an India Today report, Rishabh Pant might be left out of India's ODI squad for the New Zealand series. Pant hasn't been involved in an ODI match for quite a long time. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper last featured in an ODI match against Sri Lanka in Colombo last year, which happened to be Gautam Gambhir's first assignment as the India head coach.

Pant was included in the Men In Blue squad for the ODI series against South Africa, but didn't feature in a single match. KL Rahul captained India in the absence of Shubman Gill and also kept wickets in all three matches. As per the report, BCCI is planning to look beyond Rishabh Pant in ODIs.

Ishan Kishan Could Replace Rishabh Pant In ODIs

Ishan Kishan has reportedly emerged as the preferred choice in the white-ball format. Kishan has backed up his case with a recent upturn in his form in the domestic circuit. The Jharkhand cricketer lit up the Syed Mushtaq Ali with his batting masterclass and led the state to their maiden title in the domestic T20 tournament.

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He ended up being the top scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with two centuries. He was rewarded subsequently and made a return to the Indian fold as he was named in the T20 World Cup squad, which is set to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka next year. He smashed a brilliant century against Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy a few days ago and showed his compatibility to feature in the 50-over format again and again.

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