Pant to join India squad late due to VHT commitment

The Indian team is scheduled to assemble in Baroda on January 7 for the first ODI, but Rishabh Pant will join the squad a little later. The wicketkeeper-batter has been permitted to report late, so that he can complete the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) league-stage engagement for Delhi. The last league match is on January 8 in Bengaluru.

Pant is leading Delhi in the domestic 50-over competition and the team is currently on top of Group D with 20 points from five wins. Delhi have played six games and their only defeat came against Odisha. Their final league fixture is against Haryana. "He is very much here and he will play the last game," Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh told Cricbuzz on Tuesday night.

Pant (28) has scored 212 runs in six matches at an average of 42.4 and strike rate of 112.76 with two half centuries so far. While his runs have come at crucial stages for the side, he has also led the team well.

Pant has been picked in the ODI squad as the second wicketkeeper behind KL Rahul, a position he has held since the domestic ODI series versus England in February 2025.

There was significant speculation that Ishan Kishan would be preferred to him for the New Zealand ODIs, but the selection committee stayed with Pant on the grounds that there was no basis for his omission, given that he has not had a chance to play an ODI since August 2024. Moreover, as reported by Cricbuzz on January 4, the selectors are understood to have taken note of Pant's commitment to domestic cricket - a factor that may not necessarily apply to most international cricketers.

As is known, Shreyas Iyer will also reach Baroda late. He led Mumbai to victory over Himachal Pradesh in Jaipur on Tuesday and is set to feature in their final league match as well, against Punjab on January 8. Iyer is the vice-captain of the side, and the Centre of Excellence is monitoring his fitness, as he is returning from spleen surgery and has been out of action since October 2025.

The first ODI is on January 11 and the team will have net sessions in Baroda from January 8.