Rishabh Pant has been named captain of the Rest of India squad for the upcoming Irani Cup against Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir. The wicketkeeper-batter's appointment comes shortly after he was left out of India's ODI squad for the West Indies series, with Dhruv Jurel preferred as the wicketkeeping option alongside KL Rahul.
Pant will now lead the Rest of India side in the Irani Cup, giving him an opportunity to return to red-ball action. Sarfaraz Khan has been named his deputy, while the squad includes several players who have been involved in India's domestic and international setups.
Rishabh Pant named Rest of India captain after ODI snub
The selectors have handed Pant the leadership role for the Irani Cup despite his omission from India's latest ODI squad. Dhruv Jurel was preferred over Pant for the wicketkeeping spot in the ODI setup, while Pant will now take charge of a Rest of India side featuring a mix of experienced domestic players and established names.
Pant has been included as both captain and wicketkeeper, with Aryan Juyal named as the other wicketkeeping option. Sarfaraz Khan will serve as vice-captain.
The Rest of India squad will face Jammu & Kashmir, who were crowned Ranji Trophy champions, in the Irani Cup. The squad also includes Akash Deep, subject to fitness clearance, along with Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain.
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.
Note: *Subject to fitness clearance.
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