Rishabh Pant, the attacking wicketkeeper-batter, has been named captain of Rest of India (ROI) for the Irani Cup side after being left out of India’s ODI squad for the home series against the West Indies. The BCCI announced the Rest of India squad on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, alongside the white-ball teams for the series against the West Indies.
With regular white-ball gloveman KL Rahul serving as deputy in the ODI setup and Dhruv Jurel named as the backup wicketkeeper, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee opted to give Pant substantial red-ball game time leading the ROI contingent against Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir. Sarfaraz Khan has been named his vice-captain. J&K earned the fixture after winning their maiden Ranji title last season. Pant’s Notable Omission From ODI Squad Pant’s omission from the India’s ODI squad is notable. Dhruv Jurel was preferred as the second wicketkeeper in the ODI squad led by Shubman Gill, which also includes Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and a recall for Ravindra Jadeja. For Pant, the Irani Cup offers first-class match time and leadership after the white-ball snub. Rather than keeping him on the international bench, the selectors handed him leadership duties at the domestic level to hone his red-ball rhythm. ROI Squad Composition The Rest of India squad features a balance of domestic top performers and fringe national team players. The batting unit includes top-order talents such as Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, and Smaran Ravichandran. On the bowling side, Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Choudhary lead the pace attack, with Aryan Pandey in support. The spin options are Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain (both recently involved in the Test series against Sri Lanka), and Anukul Roy. Rest of India Squad for Irani Cup 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. For Pant, it is a chance to build rhythm and press his case for a return to the national limited-overs setup. For several young Ranji performers, it is a high-profile first-class platform at the start of the domestic season.
Hardik Pandya was also left out due to fitness. The Jammu & Kashmir vs Rest of India match will be played from October 1 to 5 at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar. Akash Deep is included after a long layoff with a lower-back stress injury; his last competitive game was for Bengal against J&K in the Ranji Trophy in February 2026.
