Rishabh Pant captains Rest of India against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar

Rishabh Pant leads the Rest of India squad against Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup at the Sher-i-Kashmir stadium in Srinagar. Pant finds himself out of contention for all three national white-ball teams, with KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel preferred in Guwahati, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson sent to the Asian Games in Nisshin, and Prabhsimran Singh and Kumar Kushagra picked for India A against Australia A in Puducherry. His international future now relies entirely on red-ball cricket, leaving him with no room for error. On the eve of the match, Pant batted longer than his teammates, facing even team officials in the nets. Addressing a press conference, he stated that he focuses only on things he can control and keeps his approach straightforward to build a long international career lasting 15 to 20 years.

Jammu and Kashmir Team Challenges

While Pant focuses on his batting, the defending Ranji Trophy champions face a major selection headache due to player absences. The team will play without their star pace duo that took 81 wickets last season, as Auqib Nabi is now with the national team and Yudhvir Singh Charak is injured. Coach Ajay Sharma noted that finding a third seamer to support Umar Nazir and Sunil Kumar has been difficult, after trials failed to reveal a clear replacement. Neither Umran Malik, who played just one match last season, nor IPL player Brijesh Sharma made the final squad. Despite these big losses, captain Paras Dogra remains positive, pointing out that other players are eager to prove themselves and step into the roles left empty. Meanwhile, Nabi's recent international debut serves as a strong source of motivation for the rest of the dressing room.

Context

The Irani Cup is a traditional domestic cricket match in India that brings together the reigning Ranji Trophy champions and a Rest of India team made up of top performers from across the country. Matches held in Srinagar often highlight the growing reach of top-flight domestic cricket into regions that traditionally host fewer marquee fixtures.