South Africa legend questions Rishabh Pant’s presence in India’s squad for Sri Lanka series

AB De Villiers, the former South Africa captain, has questioned Indian selectors on Rishabh Pant‘s selection in the squad for the Sri Lanka tour. The 28-year-old is not part of the ODI and T20I squads since he is not in the selectors’ scheme of things. Pant last played for the national team in the one-off Test match against Afghanistan, where he scored 81 runs.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers said, “Rishabh is also there in the squad, which is a bit of a surprise for me. We’ll have to see what his fitness looks like and what his appetite is and how much he wants to perform. He looked a bit low on confidence and energy during the IPL. Representing the country will bring the best out of him, and I want to see him play with the same intensity.”

The left-handed batter recently moved back to Delhi Capitals after spending two years with Lucknow Super Giants. He was purchased for INR 27 crore, which made him the costliest player in the history of the league. IPL 2026 season saw Lucknow finish last in the points table.

The youngster eventually stepped down as the captain and then finally moved back home to the Capitals. This period also coincided with the player losing his vice-captaincy to KL Rahul in the Test format.

ABD speaks about Jadeja’s return and Saransh Jain’s inclusion

The 37-year-old Ravindra Jadeja is also back in the team for the Sri Lanka series, and the Proteas legend was happy to see the player back in national colours. “It is great to see him back in the squad. We never know these days when he will play and when he won’t.”

The 42-year-old also added, “Fresh and fit Bumrah being back in the side will bring new energy to the side. Every time Jasprit plays for India, the opposition batters need to be aware that he’s a class bowler.”

Finally speaking about Jain’s selection, the batting legend said, “He looks a bit similar to Washington Sundar, and he has played for quite a while. He will give some options to Gill in the middle-overs when the ball gets older. I think he is a bowling all-rounder. Kuldeep and Jadeja being there and Jain’s addition to the team gives India more variety, especially when there are left-handed batters in the rival team.”

The two-match series is set to begin on 15th August with the games to be played in Galle and Colombo.