India’s selection conversation has been dominated for months by two senior names: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Since May 2025, when both stepped away from Test cricket within weeks of each other, their international cricket has been limited to One-Day Internationals.
That change followed their earlier retirement from T20 internationals after India’s World T20 win in Bridgetown in June 2024. As a result, most public discussion has centred on whether one, both, or neither of them will feature in next year’s 50-over World Cup in southern Africa.
That debate is understandable. Rohit and Kohli remain among the most discussed players in Indian cricket, and any decision about their place in a major tournament will draw attention. But the focus on them has also pushed other selection questions to the side.
Pant’s quieter question
One of those questions concerns Pant, who is described in the source as another high-profile India international now associated with a one-format role. He has completed a decade in India colours, but the current phase is far from settled.
The source places him at a “tenuous crossroads” after what it calls an “eminently forgettable” last few months. That wording points to a player whose place in the wider India picture is under fresh scrutiny, even if the larger headlines have stayed with Rohit and Kohli.
Pant’s situation is different from the senior pair in one important way: the discussion around him is not framed as a final chapter after long captaincy stints. It is about a player still young enough to have significant cricket ahead of him, but whose present role has narrowed in a period when India’s squads are under constant review.
Why the timing matters
India’s next major ODI cycle has already shaped the conversation around Rohit and Kohli. The 50-over World Cup in southern Africa has become the reference point for judging their immediate international future. In that atmosphere, a player outside the main spotlight can still face important questions about where he fits.
For Pant, the issue is less about public farewell talk and more about relevance across formats. The source does not list selection details or recent scorecards, but it makes clear that his recent months have not helped his case. That is enough to explain why his name belongs in the same broader conversation about one-format India internationals.
There is also a difference in perception. Rohit and Kohli’s move into ODI-only international cricket followed clear retirements from T20Is and Tests. Pant’s case, as presented, feels more uncertain. He is being viewed through the lens of a reduced role, but the direction from here is not laid out.
A debate beyond two names
The larger point is that India’s one-format discussion should not be limited to the two former all-format captains. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will continue to receive attention because of their status and because the World Cup question is unavoidable. Yet Pant’s position shows that India’s selection picture has more than one unresolved thread.
For now, the facts are limited but clear. Rohit and Kohli are ODI-only internationals after leaving T20Is in 2024 and Tests in 2025. Their possible presence at next year’s 50-over World Cup remains a central topic. Pant, meanwhile, is another high-profile Indian player whose current one-format standing has become a quieter but significant issue after a poor recent stretch.
That makes his next phase worth watching for cricketing reasons, not for speculation. The source presents him as a player at a crossroads. Until the team’s direction becomes clearer, that is the most accurate way to describe where things stand.
Source: The Hindu Cricket.