The Indian camp is no longer the highly spirited camp it used to be under Rahul Dravid or Ravi Shastri; this is the Gambhir era, and emotions are not allowed here. A heart-wrenching visual was caught on camera when Rishabh Pant was writhing in pain, and Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar, and Shubman Gill ignored him.
India have an upcoming series scheduled to be played against New Zealand, which starts on the 11th of January. The three-match ODI series will be played until the 18th of January, ahead of the five-match T20I series that marks the final preparation for both teams ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Rishabh Pant is the veteran left-handed batter who has represented India across all three formats, but now has been completely sidelined from the format he was once best known for, the T20Is. Pant is a regular in the Test team and has been awaiting his opportunity in the ODI XI for a long time now.
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Injured Rishabh Pant ignored by the Coach and the Captain
Rishabh Pant was picked as the backup option for KL Rahul, the regular wicket-keeper batter in ODIs since Pant’s departure. Rahul kept wickets for India in the 2023 ICC World Cup and also in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Some speculations claimed Ishan Kishan, Dhruv Jurel, or even Jitesh Sharma might be stealing Pant’s spot in the ODI Squad, after some domestic dominance; however, Pant too played a long and promising season in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and retained his place.
Finally, with the glimpse of a little hope to be part of the Indian playing XI against New Zealand in ODIs, Rishabh was toiling hard in the nets. However, during a batting session, he was hit and was soon on the ground writhing with pain.
At that moment when the other members stormed to the aid of the batter, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, and Captain Shubman Gill stood behind in the nets and continued their conversation. Gambhir even saw Pant in that condition, but then ignored him and continued with their conversation.
This is a cold display from the Indian head coach and the captain of the team, which also reflects the current situation within the Indian dressing room.
Heartbroken 💔 moments when Rishabh Pant injured and literally crying but our coach Gautam Gambhir and Shubhman Gill completely ignored him . pic.twitter.com/h55Wmd8ykQ
— Cricket Central (@CricketCentrl) January 10, 2026
Rishabh Pant to leave the Indian camp on matchday morning
There has been no clear information on the nature of Rishabh Pant’s injury, but the reports confirm that he has been hit while batting in the nets. According to Cricbuzz, the team physio and the doctor attended to him and found the injuries to be too serious to continue any further in the series.
However, he has neither consulted any doctor in the city nor has he undergone scans. The BCCI has not revealed anything officially until midnight of the 10th, but Cricbuzz has learned through its sources that Pant will be leaving the Indian camp on Sunday morning.
Injuries are nothing new for Pant, but the return date for this time is yet to be declared and shall be the only concern, since injuries are too frequent for Pant now.
Who will replace Pant in the Indian squad as KL Rahul’s backup?
Since Rishabh Pant was already the second-choice keeper in the side, there is no rush to replace him immediately ahead of the Sunday clash in Vadodara. India do not need an alternative stumper, as KL Rahul will once again put his keeping gloves on.
However, speaking of the remaining two matches in the series, Ishan Kishan, the Jharkhand wicket-keeper who has been picked for the T20I squad, might be roped into the ODIs as well. He was earlier in contention to replace Pant anyway.
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