When the BCCI senior men’s selection committee named India’s squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand last week, there was a notable omission in it.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, who showcased his brilliance by hitting a hundred against South Africa at No. 4 last month, failed to make the cut as vice-captain Shreyas Iyer returned to the squad after recovering from spleen injury.

Rishabh Pant retained his place in the side as a reserve wicketkeeper-batter. However, the southpaw isn't likely to feature in India's playing XI against New Zealand unless first-choice wicketkeeper KL Rahul is injured or he's played purely as a batter.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra questioned the Indian team management’s handling of Rishabh Pant, who continues to get included in the ODI squad despite having made his last appearance in the format back in August 2024.

“Rishabh Pant hasn’t featured in ODIs since 2024, yet he continues to remain in the squad. He is clearly a once-in-a-generation cricketer. While it’s true that his numbers in ODIs and T20Is haven’t been particularly impressive so far, that’s only one side of the story,” Chopra said.

“Keeping him around without giving him a single game since 2024 shows that the team management also believes in his ability, not just me. But when the opportunity finally comes, he still doesn’t get picked,” he added.

Aakash Chopra also argued that if Gaikwad was meant to be axed after Iyer’s return, then the Gautam Gambhir-led management might as well have played Pant at No. 4 against South Africa.

“Every time the next opportunity comes around, it again becomes a talking point about why Rishabh Pant should play. When the chance was there, he could have been given all three games. If he performed, he would have stayed in the team; if not, it would have been fair to say he wasn’t part of the plans. He wasn’t given a single opportunity, and now that window is closed,” Chopra remarked.

The Kiwis will play three ODIs and five T20Is on the tour of India. The tour starts with the ODI series, and the matches will be played in Vadodara, Rajkot and Indore on January 11, 14 and 18, respectively.

India’s squad for New Zealand ODIs: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC)*, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal

Note: *Shreyas Iyer’s availability is subject to fitness clearance from BCCI COE.