Last Updated on 16 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey
AB de Villiers is surprised at India’s decision to pick Rishabh Pant in the squad for their two-match series against Sri Lanka. The South Africa great said Pant looked low on confidence in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Pant struggled as captain and batter for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). They finished bottom of the league and the keeper-batsman has since been traded to the Delhi Capitals (DC).
AB de Villiers calls for Rishabh Pant to play with intensity after tough IPL
While de Villiers expressed his surprise, he also backed Pant to deliver for India.
“Rishabh Pant is included, which, in my opinion, is a bit of a surprise,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel, as quoted by Indian Express.
“We’ll have to see what his fitness is like and his appetite to perform because he looked slightly low on confidence and energy during the IPL. But now he’s representing India again, and I believe that will bring out the best in number 17. I’m a big fan—I just want to see him play with intensity.”
Dhruv Jurel is also in the squad and is likely to also win a place in the India XI alongside Pant. He has an outstanding batting average of 55.17 in 36 First Class matches, including scores of 141*, 14 and 53 for India A against Sri Lanka A in Galle in June.
India’s two-match series in Sri Lanka begins on August 15. The first match will be at Galle, before the series moves to the SSC in Colombo for the second Test starting August 23.
