Rishabh Pant will lead the Rest of India against Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup, which will begin on October 1 in Srinagar. The wicketkeeper-batter will also take the gloves, with Aryan Juyal named as his backup behind the stumps. Pant’s appointment comes shortly after he was not included in India’s ODI squad for the upcoming home series against the West Indies.
Pant will have Sarfaraz Khan as his deputy in a 15-member squad that also includes several of the standout performers from the previous Ranji Trophy season. The Irani Cup will provide an important red-ball fixture ahead of the new domestic season, which gets underway on October 11.
Rishabh Pant takes charge as Rest of India captain
Pant’s appointment gives the Rest of India squad an experienced international player at the helm for the meeting with Jammu and Kashmir, who won the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy title. The match will be played at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar from October 1.
Sarfaraz, meanwhile, has been handed the vice-captaincy after continuing to feature prominently in India’s red-ball plans. The squad also includes Jharkhand batter Shikhar Mohan, who impressed in the Duleep Trophy final with scores of 85 and 52 and was his team’s leading run-scorer in the previous Ranji season.
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Top Ranji performers rewarded with squad places
The selectors have also recognised the leading performers from the previous domestic season. R Smaran, who scored 950 runs, Ayush Doseja with 949, Sanat Sangwan with 828 and Sudip Kumar Gharami with 797 were the four highest run-scorers in the Ranji Trophy and have all been included.
Anukul Roy has also earned a place after an impressive Duleep Trophy campaign, where he contributed with both bat and ball as East Zone won the title. Akash Deep is another notable name in the squad, although his participation will depend on his fitness. His inclusion gives the Rest of India another international-quality pace option alongside Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Choudhary.
Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain are the primary spin options. Suthar has made an impressive start to his Test career, taking 23 wickets in his first three matches, including a 10-wicket match haul. Jain, meanwhile, has taken 51 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons and has also represented India at Test level.
Rest of India squad: Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Sarfaraz Khan (vice-capt), R Smaran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal (wk), Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, Ayush Doseja
