"Tough times for him but that's why you shouldn't jump the gun" - Twitter reacts as Rishabh Pant is omitted from both T20I and ODI squads

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been dropped from both the ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. The Delhi-born batter has struggled in the white-ball formats of late and was also not part of the ODI series against Bangladesh, taking a break.

Pant largely lost his spot in the T20I setup after the management chose to stick with Dinesh Karthik. The veteran cricketer assumed the role of the primary wicketkeeper in the side and played the majority of the matches in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup 2022 as well as during the tournament.

In terms of his ODI credentials, Pant has largely performed well since 2021 despite being a bit inconsistent. He recorded his maiden ODI hundred against England in July 2022 but had a forgettable tour of New Zealand after that.

With Ishan Kishan's stock rising, something which has been stamped with his record double-century against Bangladesh, he has apparently leaped forward in the pecking order. It is to be noted that Kishan is the sole wicketkeeper choice in the T20I squad, while KL Rahul also emerges as an option in the ODI team.

While fans were sympathetic towards Pant's exclusion, some felt that it was long overdue. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:

Clarity yet to be issued over Rishabh Pant's absence from Team India squad

Several reports in the aftermath of the squad announcement suggest that Rishabh Pant has in fact been rested by the team management rather than being dropped altogether from the side.

Sources claim that the wicketkeeper-batter requires strength training for his knee, something which he will reportedly work on while not being part of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka.

Team India T20I 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.

Team India T20I 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.

What do you make of Rishabh Pant's absence from the Team India squad? Let us know what you think.

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