Rishabh Pant omitted from India ODI squad, named Rest of India captain for Irani Cup

Rishabh Pant has been left out of India's 15-member ODI squad for the three-match series against the West Indies but has been appointed captain of the Rest of India side for the Irani Cup. He will lead Rest of India against Ranji Trophy winners Jammu & Kashmir in a match scheduled from October 1 to 5 at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar.

India retained Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the West Indies series, with Ravindra Jadeja recalled to the ODI set-up; Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi and Punjab all-rounder Naman Dhir received maiden ODI call-ups. Sarfaraz Khan has been named Pant's deputy for the Irani Cup fixture. Jammu & Kashmir earned their place in the traditional season-opening Irani Cup after winning their maiden Ranji Trophy title in the 2025-26 season.

The Rest of India squad contains several of last season's leading run-scorers from the Ranji Trophy. R Smaran, who scored 950 runs, and Ayush Doseja, who made 949, finished as the top two run-getters and have been included in the 15-member squad. Sanat Sangwan and Sudip Kumar Gharami, who finished among the top four run-scorers, were also selected.

Fast bowler Akash Deep has been named in the squad subject to fitness. The Bengal pacer has been sidelined with a lower-back stress injury and last played a competitive match in February when he featured for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy semi-final. That injury also ruled him out of the entire IPL 2026 season and subsequent matches for India.

The squad also features India Test players Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain, who recently featured in the series against Sri Lanka, and adds depth in spin and pace. Anukul Roy joins the spin department, while Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary and Aryan Pandey are the other pace options. Aryan Juyal has been included as the second wicketkeeper and Shikhar Mohan completes the batting options.

Rest of India squad: Rishabh Pant (C, WK), Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Sarfaraz Khan (VC), Smaran Ravichandran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Akash Deep*, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal (WK), Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, Ayush Doseja.

The Irani Cup match between Rest of India and Jammu & Kashmir will be played from October 1 to 5 at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar.