The Indian camp is no longer the exuberant camp it used to be under Rahul Dravid or Ravi Shastri; This is a serious age, and emotions are not allowed here. A heart-wrenching scene was caught on camera when Rishabh Pant writhed in pain and was ignored by Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar and Shubman Gill.
India has to play the upcoming series against New Zealand, which will start from January 11. The three-match ODI series will be played till January 18, before the five-match T20I series, which marks the final preparations for both teams ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Rishabh Pant is an experienced left-handed batsman who has represented India in all three formats, but has now been completely sidelined from the format he was once known for, T20Is. Pant is a regular in the Test team and has been waiting for his chance in the ODI XI for a long time.
Coach and captain ignored injured Rishabh Pant
After Pant’s departure, Rishabh Pant was selected as the backup option to regular wicketkeeper batsman KL Rahul in ODIs. Rahul also kept wicket for India in the 2023 ICC World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Some speculation claimed that Ishan Kishan, Dhruv Jurel or even Jitesh Sharma could steal Pant’s place in the ODI team after some domestic dominance; However, Pant also had a long and promising season in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and retained his place.
Finally, with a slight glimpse of hope of being a part of the Indian playing XI in the ODI against New Zealand, Rishabh was toiling hard in the nets. However, during the batting session, he suffered an injury and soon started writhing in pain.
At the time when other members came forward to assist the batsman, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill stood behind the nets and continued their conversation. Gambhir also saw Pant in that condition, but then ignored him and continued his conversation.
This is an indifferent performance from the Indian head coach and team captain, which also reflects the current situation in the Indian dressing room.
Heartbreaking moment when Rishabh Pant got injured and literally started crying but our coaches Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill completely ignored him. pic.twitter.com/h55Wmd8ykQ
– Cricket Central (@CricketCentral) 10 January 2026
Rishabh Pant will leave the Indian camp on the morning of the match.
There is no clear information regarding the nature of Rishabh Pant’s injury, but reports confirm that he suffered the injury while batting in the nets. According to Cricbuzz, the team physio and doctor treated him and found that the injuries were too serious to continue the series.
However, he has neither consulted any doctor in the city nor got a scan done. BCCI has not revealed anything officially till midnight of the 10th, but Cricbuzz has learned from its sources that Pant will leave the Indian camp on Sunday morning.
Injuries are nothing new for Pant, but this time the comeback date has not been announced yet and that will be the only concern, as injuries are very common for Pant now.
Who will replace Pant in the Indian team as KL Rahul’s backup?
Since Rishabh Pant was already the second-choice keeper in the team, there is no rush to replace him just ahead of Sunday’s clash in Vadodara. India do not need an alternative stumper as KL Rahul will once again don his keeping gloves.
However, talking about the remaining two matches of the series, Jharkhand wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, who has been selected for the T20I squad, could also be included in the ODIs. He was already in the race to replace Pant anyway.
Also read: Big blow to India! Rishabh Pant ruled out of New Zealand ODI
