Domestic
Rishabh Pant to lead Rest of India in Irani Cup, white-ball omission highlights selectors’ thinking
Pant’s inclusion comes after he was left out of India’s squads for the upcoming white-ball assignments — the ODI and T20I series against the West Indies and the Asian Games — suggesting that the national selectors are currently looking at him primarily as a red-ball option
TDJ News Service
16 Sep, 2026
New Delhi: Rishabh Pant’s return to leadership spotlight will come in red-ball cricket rather than the white-ball arena, with the wicketkeeper-batter named captain of the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup clash against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar from October 1 to 5.
Pant’s inclusion comes after he was left out of India’s squads for the upcoming white-ball assignments — the ODI and T20I series against the West Indies and the Asian Games — suggesting that the national selectors are currently looking at him primarily as a red-ball option.
The five-day Irani Cup encounter will be played at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium, giving Jammu and Kashmir the opportunity to host the prestigious fixture after winning their maiden Ranji Trophy title. It will also be J&K’s first Irani Cup appearance.
Sarfaraz Khan has been named Pant’s deputy, while Bengal pacer Akash Deep has also been included in the Rest of India squad. However, Deep's participation is subject to fitness clearance.
Pant, who has established himself as one of India’s key wicketkeeping options in Test cricket, will have an opportunity to lead a strong Rest of India side against the Ranji Trophy champions. His captaincy will add another dimension to a fixture traditionally viewed as a test of the domestic champions against a representative side featuring players on the fringes of the national team.
Three Delhi players feature in the Rest of India squad, with Pant joined by Sanat Sangwan and Ayush Doseja. The presence of the trio adds a strong Delhi flavour to the side.
The squad also includes Sarfaraz, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Smaran Ravichandran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy and wicketkeeper Aryan Juyal.
For J&K, the match will be a landmark occasion following their breakthrough Ranji Trophy triumph.
Rest of India squad: Rishabh Pant (Captain, wicketkeeper), Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Sarfaraz Khan [vice-captain], Smaran Ravichandran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal (wicketkeeper), Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, Ayush Doseja.
Tags : Rishabh Pant, Irani Cup, Sarfaraz Khan, Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar
