IND vs AFG: KL Rahul replaces Rishabh Pant as vice-captain as BCCI announces Test squad

Rishabh Pant has been dropped as India’s vice-captain for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, with KL Rahul named as Shubman Gill’s new replacement in the 13-member squad announced by the BCCI on Tuesday.

Pant continues in the side as a wicketkeeper-batsman, while the squad also features three debutants, including Kings of Punjab pacer Gurnoor Brar, along with Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

India have retained a mix of youth and experience, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna leading the pace attack and Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Manav Suthar forming a rotating unit.

Pant, who served as Gill’s deputy during the England tour earlier this year, has now been relieved of the leadership role and Rahul has reverted to vice-captain ahead of the Afghanistan Test.

Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy retained their places after impressive home and India A performances, while Devdutt Padikkal was also included in the batting line-up alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Dhruv Jurel was named as the second wicket option alongside Pant.

The Test against Afghanistan comes amid discussions about managing the workload for the senior players, with several established names lined up for the task.

India Test Team: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Dhruv Jurel.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

19 May 2026 16:20 IST