Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has not been considered for the T20I captaincy for the Indian cricket team’s upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has revealed the squads for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka, along with key captaincy changes, on Thursday, July 18.
Suryakumar Yadav has been named as the new T20I captain for Team India, replacing Rohit Sharma who retired from the format after winning the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. However, Rohit will continue his role as India captain in the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka.
BCCI drops Rishabh Pant as T20I captain for Sri Lanka tour
Shubman Gill will be the deputy to Suryakumar and Rohit for the T20I and ODI series in Sri Lanka respectively. Well, the BCCI’s changes, especially Yadav’s appointment as captain, left many baffled as Pant and Hardik Pandya were the strong contenders for India’s T20I captaincy.
While Pandya’s injury history and absence from ODI series are reportedly reasons why he is not being considered for India’s T20I captaincy, Pant may be an option for the BCCI and the selectors, but they opted for Suryakumar. Now, the reason has finally been revealed.
Pant is said to have already been informed that he has not been considered for the captaincy after the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph in West Indies as he already has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders and BCCI does not want to overburden the talented cricketer.
The aggressive left-handed batsman, who made a remarkable return to international cricket after a life-threatening car accident, has been told by national selectors and the BCCI that he is a match-winner but they want his main focus to be securing his place in the Test team.
BCCI’s strategic decision behind not naming Rishabh Pant as India’s T20I captain revealed
The reason behind the decision to not name Pant India as the T20I captain is to allow him to focus on his game without the added pressures that come with captaincy. Pant has already shown great potential in the Test format and is expected to continue his good performances in the format, especially in the upcoming Test series against Australia.
It is also said that Pant’s contributions in T20I cricket, though notable, have not fully secured him his place as T20 captain at the moment. The selectors and management want him to focus on strengthening his position in the team.
And then he is already the captain of Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL and is a wicketkeeper, so any other responsibility can affect his performance, so the decision was taken to keep him focused on his wicketkeeper-batsman role.
We don’t want to overburden Rishabh Pant: BCCI
A well-known sports journalist Vimal Kumar revealed on his YouTube channel, “Rishabh Pant was already told this during the tour of West Indies. After winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, he was told. He was told that you are a very important player for us, you are a great match-winner and you have made an inspiring comeback so far.
Nobody had thought that you would come back so soon; that you would be part of the World Cup-winning team. That is why the selectors and the BCCI feel that Rishabh Pant should be the first to be selected. He is a great match-winner in Test matches. The tour of Australia is coming up and he should go with an open mind and play openly like he did in the last two tours of Australia. That is what is expected of him.
Moreover, Rishabh Pant has also been told that his performance was good in the T20I format while he did not secure his place in the ODI squad. So, the onus is on him to secure his place first. BCCI does not want to overburden Pant. You are a wicketkeeper, you are a great player and you are already the captain of DC. We do not want to overburden you.”