Reason for Rishabh Pant's mysterious exit from India ODI squad in Bangladesh revealed and it's not COVID

India batter Rishabh Pant left fans and pundits baffled after he made a mysterious exit from the India squad ahead of the ODI series against Bangladesh recently.

The BCCI had tweeted that Pant has been released from the squad and will join the team for the Test series.

"In consultation with the BCCI Medical Team, Rishabh Pant has been released from the ODI squad. He will join the team ahead of the Test series. No replacement has been sought Axar Patel was not available for selection for the first ODI," BCCI tweeted.

His exit sparked speculation of disciplinary issue while fans some termed it a fitness issue. 

Now the reason has been revealed for Pant’s exit.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, Pant had requested the team management to be released from the ODI series. He spoke to skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid on arrival in Dhaka from New Zealand. 

The wicketkeeper-batsman was in Dhaka for a day and is learnt to have participated in the nets before seeking leave.  

Pant has delivered some solid performances in ODIs this year. In 12 games and 10 innings this year, he has scored 336 runs at an average of 37.33, with one century and two fifties and best score of 125*.

However, New Zealand tour was dismal as he could manage scores of only 15 and 10 in his ODIs.

Earlier, the star pacer of the team Mohammad Shami ruled out of the series. BCCI announced Umran Malik as the veteran pacer's replacement in India's 17-man squad for their three-match ODI series against Bangladesh.