Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine has shared his thoughts on Rishabh Pant’s omission from India’s white-ball setup. Paine is currently working with Australia A, who will face India A in the first four-day match in Puducherry from Tuesday, September 22.
Pant was left out of India’s ODI squad for the upcoming home series against the West Indies. The decision has raised questions about his future in the white-ball cricket, having already lost his place in the T20I side, even though he continues to remain an important part of India’s Test plans.
Rishabh Pant ignored for West Indies ODIs
Rishabh Pant has not played a T20I match for India since the Sri Lanka tour in July 2024, and now he has also lost his place in the ODI team. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter was once again overlooked for the ODI series against the West Indies later this month.
Instead, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has given Pant the captaincy of the Rest of India team for the Irani Cup against Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir. This clearly shows that Pant remains a key name in red-ball cricket, but his white-ball future looks uncertain.
Tim Paine sends big message to Rishabh Pant after white-ball snub
Reacting to the call, Tim Paine feels Rishabh Pant’s white-ball form will be the biggest factor behind his return. He pointed towards the left-hander’s recent IPL performances, but he also stressed that Pant has the talent to make a strong comeback and do wonders again.
The former Australian skipper stressed that if Pant can regain his form, he can once again dominate the white-ball format with his natural talent, aggressive batting and ability to change matches. Amid this, India regain No.1 T20I ranking just 72 hours after losing it to England.
Tim Paine was quoted as saying by the Times of India, “I haven’t watched enough of his white-ball cricket to say. I know his IPL over the last couple of years hasn’t been brilliant, but if he’s playing well, he could be playing in most white-ball teams around the world.
It’s probably about capturing that form again and taking his red-ball cricket into white-ball cricket. There’s no reason why someone as skilled and talented as him, if he’s playing well, wouldn’t be a fantastic white-ball player.”
Tim Paine recalls Rishabh Pant’s fearless Gabba heroics
Paine remembers Pant’s aggressive approach as a special moment. His iconic Gabba innings came on January 19, 2021, when he smashed an unbeaten 89 off 138 balls to help India chase 328 and beat Australia by three wickets.
Pant’s fearless batting ended Australia’s 32-year unbeaten run at the Gabba and sealed India’s famous 2-1 series victory in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The former cricketer said that the Indian star attacked Australia’s top bowlers and disturbed their plans, saying his confidence and fearless style were the key reasons behind India’s historic win.
Paine recalled, “I loved the way he came to Australia and played, how aggressive and confident he was. That’s something we’re trying to instil in this young group, the belief that you can go out and change games.”
“That’s what Rishabh did against high-class bowlers. He threw them off their lines and lengths and put them under pressure. It was a great way to play, and a lot of the time I try and encourage our players to do the same thing.”
Source: cricketaddictor.com
