Rishabh Pant has been around the ODI set up as a backup batter since his return from injury. However, the left-hander was ignored for the IND vs SA 1st ODI despite Shreyas Iyer's absence. Coach Gautam Gambhir instead opted to play Ruturaj Gaikwad at No.4, despite the CSK captain being originally picked up as a backup opener.

India's decision to drop Rishabh Pant has raised eyebrows among fans on social media. Pant was expected to get a run in the ODI set up after regular no.4 Shreyas Iyer was ruled out with injury. However, on Sunday, KL Rahul confirmed that it would be Ruturaj Gaikwad who will feature in the IND vs SA 1st ODI in Ranchi.

Gaikwad has a stellar List A record and has been in the runs in the lead up to the India vs South ODI series. He was player of the series in the A series vs Proteas, scoring a century and a half-century in 3 innings. However all those knocks came at the top of the order.

Pant meanwhile has been around the ODI set up as a backup batter since his return from injury. The left hander had scored his maiden ODI century in 2022 before his accident. That gap and Shreyas' form meant that Pant has played only 3 ODIs in the last three years. Iyer's injury was a chance for Gautam Gambhir and the team management to try him out.

Perhaps knowing his fate, Pant had shared a motivational post on X a day before the game.

“Head down, heart steady and focus on the controllables. Everything has its time, keep working hard,” the 28-year-old wrote on X.

How fans reacted to Pant's exclusion from India's Playing XI