The BCCI selectors have taken away vice-captaincy of the Test side from Rishabh Pant ahead of the one-off Test vs Afghanistan which begins in Mullanpur on Saturday.
Published: June 5, 2026, 4:11 PM IST
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Team India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant at a training session in Mullanpur on Friday. (Photo: PTI)
IND vs AFG 2026 One-Off Test: Rishabh Pant will have mixed feeling as the gets ready to turn out for Team India against Afghanistan in the one-off Test beginning at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, from Saturday. From being captain of the side in his last Test to being stripped of ‘vice-captaincy’ of the side, it has been a bitter journey for Pant in the last few months.
But come Saturday, Pant will be celebrating his landmark 50th appearance in Test cricket, making him just the third Indian wicketkeeper to achieve this feat. The other two Indian wicketkeepers with more than 50 Tests are legendary MS Dhoni and Syed Kirmani.
Pant has so far turned out in 49 Tests and notched up 3476 runs at an average of 42.91 with 8 hundreds and 18 fifties to his name. Dhoni has represented India in the most Tests as a wicketkeeper, retiring with 90 Tests under his belt with 4876 runs at an average of 38.09 with 6 hundreds and 33 fifties. Kirmani turned out in 88 Tests for India while scoring 2759 runs at an average of 27.04 with 2 hundreds and 2 fifties.
The 28-year-old has recently stepped down from his position as captain of Lucknow Super Giants as well after a forgettable IPL 2026 season in which his side finished in 10th and last place. Pant only managed to score 312 runs in 14 matches at a strike-rate of 138.05 with only 1 fifty this year in IPL.
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir brushed aside thoughts that removal from vice-captaincy will have any bearing on Pant’s form. “Look, the only responsibility is to play for India. Everything else is a by-product. Captaincy, vice-captaincy, these are all by-products. And ultimately, everyone is judged on performance. Whether it’s me, or any support staff, or any player. Ultimately, that is what international cricket is all about,” Gambhir said in the pre-match press conference on Friday.
Asked if Pant should continue his high-risk game even in Test cricket, Gambhir said, “Be it Test cricket, one-day cricket, or T20 cricket. The ultimate aim is to score runs and take wickets. You can never move away from that. How you score them is up to you. But reading the situation and reading the game is very important. And as far as Rishabh is concerned, we will expect him to be the way he is. It’s not like we will tell him that you have to curb your game.”
