Rishabh Pant, recently excluded from the ODI series against the West Indies, has been appointed to lead the Rest of India squad for the upcoming Irani Cup clash against 2025-26 Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir. Sarfaraz Khan will serve as the vice-captain for the encounter.
Fitness and Team Updates
- Akash Deep, sidelined with a lower-back stress injury, is included in the squad subject to his fitness. His last competitive appearance occurred against Jammu & Kashmir during the February 2026 Ranji Trophy season.
- The pace attack includes Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, and Aryan Pandey. The spin department is bolstered by Anukul Roy, Manav Suthar, and Saransh Jain, the latter two having recently featured in the Test series against Sri Lanka.
- Top Ranji Trophy run-scorers R Smaran and Ayush Doseja have also earned spots in the squad.
The Irani Cup match is scheduled to take place from October 1-5 at the Sher-i-Kashmir stadium in Srinagar. The full Rest of India squad is as follows: Rishabh Pant (C, WK), Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Sarfaraz Khan (VC), Smaran Ravichandran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal (WK), Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, and Ayush Doseja.
