'Rishabh Pant's cryptic post sparks speculation about rift with Rohit Sharma'

Pant's campaign in the opening Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium took a hit when he suffered a knee injury while wicketkeeping on Day 2. This was the same knee that had required surgery in early 2023 after a car accident. As a precaution, the BCCI Medical Team decided to rest him the following day, with Dhruv Jurel taking over the keeping duties. Despite the setback, Pant returned to the field on Day 4 to bat in the second innings, where he fell just one run short of a century, contributing to a crucial 178-run partnership with Sarfaraz Khan. He was then given a break on the final day of the match to ensure he fully rested his knees.

Following the loss, he took to Instagram to share a story, where the content read: "Sometimes it's best to just be quiet and let God show people."

With the post showing no indication of who it was directed towards, or was it just a quote he happened to come across on the internet and share with his fans as part of wisdom, it sparked a furore among fans. Few reckoned that it was dig at India captain Rohit Sharma, who have been shown no mercy by fans on social media over his leadership in the New Zealand Test, while others felt it was aimed at Delhi Capitals, who might have come to a conclusion of not retaining him for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League.

A report in The Indian Express on Monday indicated that Pant could be rested for the Pune Test against New Zealand, which begins on October 24, although the selection committee have left the entire decision up to the team management.

It would only be a wiser decision from Rohit to rest Pant, with India needing his services more during the Border-Gavaskar series next month in Australia. Moreover, India do have an able back-up wicketkeeper in Dhruv Jurel.