Rishabh Pant likely to lose leadership role in Test team due to IPL failures

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering removing Rishabh Pant from the role of vice-captain of the Indian Test team. News agency PTI reported the development on Sunday, May 17, ahead of Lucknow Super Giants’ penultimate game of the Indian Premier League season.

The discussions are believed to have stemmed from Pant’s difficult tenure at LSG over the past two years, where he struggled to make an impact as a leader in T20 cricket. While his place in the Indian Test side as a wicketkeeper-batsman remains certain, the national selectors’ meeting in Guwahati on May 19 could potentially lead to a major decision regarding his leadership role in the Indian set-up.

“Indian cricket simply cannot afford to lose a batsman like Rishabh. He has won and set up Test matches with his aggressive batting. There is a growing feeling among the men who matter that whenever he has been given more responsibility, he does not seem to make good decisions while batting,” a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

“Giving him the opportunity to play freely could be the primary task of the selection committee,” the source added.

Clearly, there is a growing feeling in the Indian cricket establishment that the responsibility of leadership does not sit comfortably with the 28-year-old batsman. It also did not go unnoticed that Pant had tactical problems when he captained India in the absence of Shubman Gill during the Test match against South Africa in Guwahati last November.

However, it must be mentioned that in his first stint as the team’s full-time vice-captain, Pant had a fantastic outing with the bat in England, scoring 479 runs from 4 matches. Defying a broken leg, Pant continued to bat in one of the games, again showing his commitment to the team.

BUMRAH LIKELY TO REST vs AFGHANISTAN

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the Afghanistan series is pending the approval of the BCCI Medical Board. If the BCCI medical team is okay with Jasprit Bumrah’s workload, then the senior pacer will play a one-off Test against Hashmatullah Shahidi’s side.

“If the medical team approves that Bumrah’s workload is below permissible limits, he could play the Test match against Afghanistan.

“But there is no chance of him playing the ODI series. If there is even the slightest problem with his workload, he will be rested for the entire series,” said a BCCI source privy to the development.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

17 May 2026 23:18 IST