Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes wicket-keeper bat Rishabh Pant will need to earn his place in India’s white-ball teams. However, Chopra reckons Pant has been wronged a bit in the ODIs as he didn’t get a long run to prove his mettle.

KL Rahul has been India’s first-choice wicket-keeper in the 50-over version and recently Ishan Kishan was also given his chance in three ODIs against Afghanistan. Sanju Samson is also waiting in the wings but one feels Pant has gone down the pecking order in the white-ball teams.

“Honestly speaking, the conditions aren’t very tough nowadays. There is a marginal difference. 220 runs are scored on extremely flat pitches in India, and 190 are being scored here (England) as well, and in ODI cricket, more than 270 runs are scored. So I don’t think that the conditions are so different,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

“Rishabh Pant is an outstanding cricketer. He is a match-winner, game-changer, and X-factor in red-ball cricket, but in white-ball cricket, he has to earn his stripes. A little wrong is happening in ODI cricket because he didn’t get enough chances, and you dropped him despite that,” he added.

Chopra highlighted that Pant is not even close to getting his chances in the T20I format.

“He is not even close in T20 cricket. It’s been many seasons since he has had a rockstar IPL. Until those things change, I don’t think you will see Rishabh Pant’s name even close to white-ball cricket,” he observed.

The renowned commentator added that one can not blame the selectors as India is spoiled for choices.

“You can’t even blame the selectors because there are many options now. If we had asked the same thing five years ago, we would have said what would happen if Rishabh isn’t there, as we would have to get KL Rahul to keep. Today, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan are there, and Dhruv Jurel is there behind them,” he said.

The third T20I between England and India will be played at Nottingham on Tuesday.