Did Shubman Gill And Gautam Gambhir Sideline Rishabh Pant? LSG Captain's Sister Sparks 'Politics' Debate Over Team India Selection For Afghanistan Series. Photo ANI
The intense scrutiny of Indian cricket has dramatically shifted from the pitch to social media, igniting a heated debate over internal team politics. Internet is abuzz with conspiracy theories after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian squad for the upcoming multi-format home series against Afghanistan which includes a one-off Test match and a three-match ODI series. The dramatic restructuring of leadership under captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir, which saw star wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant completely stripped of his Test vice-captaincy, lies at the heart of the storm.
Speculations went viral online after Rishabh Pant’s sister liked a controversial social media reel. The video specifically highlighted the alleged administrative “politics” going on behind the scenes between Gill and Pant. The digital move instantly led to speculation of a calculated conspiracy on the cards to strategically set the stage for Shubman Gill to be India’s long-term undisputed captain across formats.
When the selectors announced the red-ball squad for the Afghanistan Test, Gill was retained as captain and Pant was picked only as a specialist wicketkeeper. However, KL Rahul was handed over the deputy role and Pant was officially stripped of his vice-captaincy. Rumour has it that the team management and selectors didn’t want to be seen to be comfortable with a high-profile alternative like Pant as the official number two, as that always leaves the door open for an immediate captaincy switch during low phases.
The cynics may call it a deliberate sidelining, but the real lovers of the game and the analytical minds see the management’s decision as being heavily based on recent performances. Shubman Gill’s red-ball captaincy has been objectively formidable. Under him, India had a tough series against England where both Gill and Pant finished as India’s top run-scorers and later won India’s only series win in the World Test Championship (WTC) at home against West Indies.
On the other hand, when Gill was ruled out with a freak injury in the next series against South Africa, Pant was handed the temporary captaincy reins. The assignment was a disaster. Pant’s captaincy saw India suffer a historic home series loss to the Proteas, ending a 20-year unbeaten streak at home against the Proteas and a huge blow to the Indian team’s chances of making it to the WTC 2027 final. Furthermore, Pant’s uninspiring tactical captaincy in IPL 2026 did not do much to improve his leadership credentials.
This is not the first time a cricketer’s relative has added fuel to dressing-room tension on the internet; a previous social media controversy involving Shreyas Iyer’s sister also drew widespread attention and criticism.
Ultimately the BCCI cannot police the independent online actions of the families of players and this latest incident appears to be an unfortunate social media stunt. India desperately needs stable and proven leadership to resurrect its WTC campaign. Gambhir and the selectors’ promotion of KL Rahul to vice-captaincy is a matter of cricketing wisdom and not a nasty conspiracy, particularly after he led India to an emotional ODI series win against South Africa.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
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