Why Rishabh Pant was dropped as India’s Test vice-captain
Rishabh Pant may have lost India’s Test vice-captaincy and his place in the ODI squad, but chief selector Ajit Agarkar has made it clear that the red-ball wicketkeeper-palter’s future remains all but assured. After announcing India’s squad for the Afghanistan series, Agarkar insisted there were “no concerns” over Pant’s place in the Test squad despite his recent struggles in white-ball cricket.
Pant was one of the biggest talking points from the latest Indian team announcement after he was removed as Test vice-captain, with KL Rahul taking over the role under new captain Shubman Gill. Pant was also dropped from the ODI squad entirely as the selectors continued to reshape India’s white-ball plans.
IND vs AFG, SQUAD SELECTION: UPDATE
In a press conference after the team announcement, Agarkar emphasized that the selectors still consider Pant to be one of India’s most valuable players in Test cricket.
“Rishabh is an incredible Test player. Obviously, he is not part of the ODI squad at the moment,” Agarkar said.
“We want him to become the best Test player he has always been. I don’t think there will be any concern about his place in the Test team,” Agarkar added.
Agarkar also explained this The ODI setup in India is currently moving in a different direction while other goal combinations take precedence.
“As far as ODI cricket is concerned, we have gone with two different options at the moment,” he said.
WHY WAS RISHABH PANT AXED AS TEST VICE-CAPTAIN?
Pant’s removal as Test vice-captain appears to be part of a larger leadership renewal under new Indian Test captain Shubman Gill.
With Gill still in charge, the selectors have now handed the role of vice-captain to the much more experienced KL Rahul, who remains one of the tallest figures in the dressing room across formats.
However, the management’s disdain does not reflect any loss of faith in the true value of the Pant test.
Even after suffering an injury during England’s Test series, Pant still enjoyed a sensational 2025 season in red-ball cricket. In seven matches and 13 innings, he scored 629 runs at an average of 48.38 and a strike rate of 77.75, including two centuries in the Leeds Test against England along with four fifties.
Those numbers remain one of the biggest reasons why India still look to Pant as one of their most important players in Test cricket despite the white-ball setbacks.
Pant’s disappointing IPL 2026 campaign, although, he did little to strengthen his leadership at selection time.
The wicket-keeper batsman has managed 251 runs in 12 matches and has struggled to produce the kind of impressive white-ball performances that could boost his standing in the Indian management’s wider plans.
More importantly, the selectors currently want to simplify Pant’s role and allow him to focus fully on rediscovering his strongest format.
Agarkar’s comments strongly hinted in that direction when he said India wanted Pant to become “the best Test player he’s ever been”.
However, despite being denied the lead, Pant remains firmly in India’s long-term Test plans due to his proven ability in overseas conditions and his game-changing influence in red-ball cricket.
WHY WERE PANT DROPPED FROM THE INDIAN ODI SQUAD?
Pant’s absence from India’s ODI squad has gradually increased over the past 18 months.
While he remained in India’s setup in the ODI series against South Africa and New Zealand last year, injuries and inconsistent performances with the white ball have slowly pushed him down the order.
Ishan Kishan’s comeback, Sanju Samson’s strong T20I performances and KL Rahul’s stability as India’s first-choice ODI wicketkeeper made the competition much tougher.
The only realistic way back for Pant was through a strong IPL season.
But his 251-run campaign never really gave the selectors enough reason to change their current combinations. Apart from the numbers, the selectors also assess the team balance, conditions and long-term World Cup planning, especially in terms of players suitable for South Africa’s conditions during the next ODI World Cup cycle.
And right now, Pant doesn’t seem to fit into that planning as strongly as others.
The biggest signal came from the fact that the selectors still preferred Ishan Kishan despite there being room for another wicket-taker in the set-up.
For now, however, the Indian management clearly continues to view Pant very differently in Test cricket.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
19 May 2026 19:15 IST