Key Highlights:

  • Raina's Endorsement: Former India batter Suresh Raina believes Rishabh Pant has the talent to replicate his Test form in white-ball cricket if he plays without hesitation.
  • A Prolonged Absence: Pant last played white-ball cricket for India in 2024, going unused in the 2025 Champions Trophy win and getting left out for the Afghanistan ODI series in June.
  • The Core Issue: Raina questioned why Pant's Test success hasn't translated to T20Is or ODIs, suggesting he may be mentally overthinking his approach in the shorter formats.
  • A Call for Freedom: Raina urged Pant to play without hesitation, noting that in Tests he hits sixes freely but appears more cautious in white-ball cricket.
  • IPL Struggles Too: Pant endured underwhelming IPL 2025 and 2026 campaigns with Lucknow Super Giants before moving back to Delhi Capitals after this year's tournament.

Former India batter Suresh Raina believes wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has the talent to replicate his stellar Test cricket form in white-ball formats, provided he plays without hesitation and works through mental blockages.

Despite being a match-winner for India in Tests, Pant has been unable to establish himself in the white-ball setup. Though he's played 31 ODIs and 76 T20Is, Pant last featured in both white-ball formats for India in 2024. He was an unused member of the 2025 Champions Trophy-winning Indian team, before being left out of the ODI squad for the series against Afghanistan in June.

"He is my favourite player. I think what Rishabh has done is that he's playing well and scoring tremendously in the Test matches... Dhruv Jurel is doing well; Sanju Samson is there. But Rishabh has that x-factor. What I feel and think is that he's slowly maturing. You are talking about the white ball side of things, but it's even true in the case of IPL," Raina said on Aakash Chopra's YouTube channel.

"I think he has done really well, as everyone knows, as far as Test matches are concerned. But why is the same not happening in T20Is or ODIs? Is he looking for something in his mind? What is it? I think he needs to figure out how to pace an innings there. In the Test matches, he used to play without any hesitation. Now if he has to hit a six there, he will hit on the very first ball," Raina noted.

The IPL numbers behind Raina's comment: Pant became the most expensive player in IPL auction history in November 2024, when Lucknow Super Giants paid Rs 27 crore for him at the mega auction, outbidding Delhi Capitals' Right-to-Match attempt at Rs 20.75 crore. After underwhelming campaigns with LSG across the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Pant was traded back to Delhi Capitals this year for a reported Rs 15 crore — roughly a Rs 12 crore pay cut from his original price — in a swap that sent spinner Kuldeep Yadav the other way to Lucknow. The scale of that drop underlines how significant the underperformance Raina is describing has actually been, in market terms.

Raina, a member of India's 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy winning squads, suggested that batting freely could help Pant. "I have seen and felt it — that I couldn't communicate better or that I could have been much better in Test matches. So, if Rishabh tries, he can spend time with someone who can guide him in white-ball cricket. He needs to be free in his style. He can achieve a lot... his time will come," he said.

Key Highlights:

  • Raina's Endorsement: Former India batter Suresh Raina believes Rishabh Pant has the talent to replicate his Test form in white-ball cricket if he plays without hesitation.
  • A Prolonged Absence: Pant last played white-ball cricket for India in 2024, going unused in the 2025 Champions Trophy win and getting left out for the Afghanistan ODI series in June.
  • The Core Issue: Raina questioned why Pant's Test success hasn't translated to T20Is or ODIs, suggesting he may be mentally overthinking his approach in the shorter formats.
  • A Call for Freedom: Raina urged Pant to play without hesitation, noting that in Tests he hits sixes freely but appears more cautious in white-ball cricket.
  • IPL Struggles Too: Pant endured underwhelming IPL 2025 and 2026 campaigns with Lucknow Super Giants before moving back to Delhi Capitals after this year's tournament.

Former India batter Suresh Raina believes wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has the talent to replicate his stellar Test cricket form in white-ball formats, provided he plays without hesitation and works through mental blockages.

Despite being a match-winner for India in Tests, Pant has been unable to establish himself in the white-ball setup. Though he's played 31 ODIs and 76 T20Is, Pant last featured in both white-ball formats for India in 2024. He was an unused member of the 2025 Champions Trophy-winning Indian team, before being left out of the ODI squad for the series against Afghanistan in June.

"He is my favourite player. I think what Rishabh has done is that he's playing well and scoring tremendously in the Test matches... Dhruv Jurel is doing well; Sanju Samson is there. But Rishabh has that x-factor. What I feel and think is that he's slowly maturing. You are talking about the white ball side of things, but it's even true in the case of IPL," Raina said on Aakash Chopra's YouTube channel.

"I think he has done really well, as everyone knows, as far as Test matches are concerned. But why is the same not happening in T20Is or ODIs? Is he looking for something in his mind? What is it? I think he needs to figure out how to pace an innings there. In the Test matches, he used to play without any hesitation. Now if he has to hit a six there, he will hit on the very first ball," Raina noted.

The IPL numbers behind Raina's comment: Pant became the most expensive player in IPL auction history in November 2024, when Lucknow Super Giants paid Rs 27 crore for him at the mega auction, outbidding Delhi Capitals' Right-to-Match attempt at Rs 20.75 crore. After underwhelming campaigns with LSG across the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Pant was traded back to Delhi Capitals this year for a reported Rs 15 crore — roughly a Rs 12 crore pay cut from his original price — in a swap that sent spinner Kuldeep Yadav the other way to Lucknow. The scale of that drop underlines how significant the underperformance Raina is describing has actually been, in market terms.

Raina, a member of India's 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy winning squads, suggested that batting freely could help Pant. "I have seen and felt it — that I couldn't communicate better or that I could have been much better in Test matches. So, if Rishabh tries, he can spend time with someone who can guide him in white-ball cricket. He needs to be free in his style. He can achieve a lot... his time will come," he said.