Rishabh Pant faces Sanju Samson threat as India turn attention towards 2027 ODI world Cup: Report

Rishabh Pant, who is struggling for form in the ongoing Indian Premier League, is in grave danger of losing his spot in the Indian ODI side as selectors could prefer Sanju Samson over the Lucknow Super Giants captain, a report in a major newspaper has claimed.

Currently, KL Rahul is India's first choice wicketkeeper in ODIs, with Rishabh Pant being second in charge. He was part of the squad against New Zealand earlier this year before being ruled out of the series due to a side strain.

Samson threatens Pant's ODI spot

And it seems like Pant's return to the 50-over format is going to be very difficult as the BCCI selectors are more interested in giving a chance to Samson, who recently helped India win the T20 World Cup 2026 at home, claims a report in Dainik Jagran.

The 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa is not far, and the management is focussed on building the team for the same. India will play 20 ODIs home and away before the World Cup, including the upcoming three-match home series against Afghanistan that starts on 14 June.

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But as Pant has struggled for form since returning from the side strain and scored only 189 runs in eight IPL 2027 matches at an average of 27, he could see himself making way for Sanju Samson in India's ODI side.

Interestingly, Pant has not played an ODI for India since a game against Sri Lanka in 2024.

On the other hand, Samson's T20 World Cup heroics and recent twin centuries for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026 have caught the selectors' attention, the report added.

Overall, Pant has scored 871 runs in 37 ODIs at an average of 33.50, while Samson has accumulated 510 runs in 16 matches at an average of 56.66. Clearly, the numbers are in Samson's favour.

If Rishabh Pant loses his ODI spot, he could be out of India’s entire white-ball setup, having already fallen out of the T20 side.