India, Sept. 17 -- The last time Rishabh Pant featured in an ODI game for India was in August 2024. That remained his only appearance in the format since December 2022, when he had suffered a horrific car accident. That series in Sri Lanka, two years back, was Pant's way back into the international fold after a year-long recovery. It also remained his last in ODIs under the current regime of head coach Gautam Gambhir.

On Wednesday, when the selectors sat down to pick the white-ball squads for the impending home series against the West Indies, Pant hoped for a return to the format with most of the regulars in the ODIs absent owing to Asian Games duty, which included wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan. Even as KL Rahul would be the preferred first-...