India vs Afghanistan: For Rishabh Pant, the next starting point is the milestone of 50.

Rishabh Pant during a training session in Mullanpur. (PTI Photo) NEW CHANDIGARH: The afternoon sun is relentless here. Outdoor activities are not suitable in this peak summer. The Indian players arrived for practice at 1 p.m. As they went through the drills, you couldn’t miss the grimace on their faces. Still, there was often laughter around the new PCA stadium. It was Rishabh Pant, two days away from playing his 50th Test match when India take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test on Saturday. Pant was yet to make his Test debut when India last played Afghanistan in a Test in 2018. In those eight years, Afghanistan played only 12 Test matches. But Pant has been on a manic ride to become arguably the greatest wicketkeeper in Indian Test history and the most impressive Test batsman in a decade. It’s hard to wipe the smile off Pant’s face. Lying in a hospital bed, he was able to reason even though his limbs had not moved a day after a near-fatal car accident. But this week will be different for him. He remained his usual playful partner during Thursday’s practice. But he is no longer vice-captain of the team – he was given the responsibility exactly a year ago when Indian cricket plunged blindly into a major transition in Test cricket. The smile is now a veil behind the emotional turmoil. Sometimes he felt like he was trying too hard not to break character. The milestone match became the starting point for him. “I don’t think you need a formal title to be a leader in that kind of setup. I think Rishabh understands that and I think he’s committed to being a good role model and a senior player,” India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said of Pant’s situation. “He was in great spirits again. He is always one of those guys who is happy and cheerful and drives the spirit in the team. We have no complaints from him. You wouldn’t even notice that his role in the management structure has changed,” he added. If being named vice-captain freed him immediately for the tour of England last year, being stripped of the role in his 50th Test casts a shadow over his position as a member of the leadership group. If he was looking for any reassurance after a torrid IPL season with Lucknow Super Giants, he had more to prove. The interviews after joining the Indian team must have been awkward. But the important thing was that they happened. “I actually heard him and Gauti (head coach Gautam Gambhir) talking yesterday about how he wanted to act as a senior player. It affects your communication but also how you play. With Rishabh’s brilliance, we don’t want to take away all the things he does. At times, if he can adjust his game to play the situation a bit more, I think something will work for you. into the talks. Cut to Pant’s 45-minute batting. The vertical bat was more in play and the rock-solid defense against the spinners came to the fore as Gambhir kept talking to him from behind the nets – a rare scene since Gambhir started in August 2024. The team management has made it clear enough that they are looking for changes to Pant’s game that could be a bit of a departure from his strong free-flowing instincts. It’s up to Pant to keep his smile and joy on this journey that has suddenly become about his survival.