Will Rishabh Pant Replace KL Rahul In 3rd ODI?

India lost the  2nd ODI match of 3-match the series by 32 runs while chasing a target of 241 runs in 50 overs. With this win, the Sri Lanka are leading the series by 1-0 after managing to tie the 1st match. India’s poor performance by middle-order batters is one of the main reasons for loss as in both the games, they failed to score runs despite getting a good start by the openers. This thing has put a serious concern with experienced batter KL Rahul, who is making his return to the ODI team after a successful IPL season from the Lucknow Super Giants franchise where he was among the leading run-scorers from the team with 520 runs in 14 games.

However, in the first 2 games of the series, he failed to perform, which caused Men in Blue to face a defeat and a tie in the following series. Looking at KL Rahul’s failure, the Indian team can replace him with Rishabh Pant, who has been in sensational form since his return to the Indian side in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He was among the list of leading run scorers for Men in Blue with 171 runs in 8 games with an average of 24 having 1 half-centuries to his name.

However, Rishabh’s performance came in the shorter format of the game for the Indian team. But while looking at the current condition, he can be seen returning to 50 overs format after a long wait of 2 years. The Southpaw batter played last ODI game against New Zealand in 2022 at Christchurch.

Let’s look at Rishabh Pant's recent performance since his return to IPL 2024

After going through a horrible car accident in December 2022, the Delhi-born batter made an incredible return in the 17th edition of the IP (Indian Premier League) as a captain for the Delhi-based franchise, where he proved his fitness by scoring 446 runs in 13 games with an average of 40 having 3 fifties to his name. His incredible performance with bat and crucial wicket-keeping behind the stumps made him return to the Indian team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Rishabh Pant's attacking approach against Sri Lankan spinners will benefit the Indian team in the final match of the series. India will be playing the final match of the series on Wednesday at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.