Rishabh Pant could lose his vice-captaincy role from the test team. Image Credit: ANI
India vs Afghanistan: The squad for the Indian national cricket team taking on Afghanistan for a one-off test could be announced by the 19th of May. While the fans wait for a possible lineup of fresher faces, there are reports emerging that there might be a change in leadership setup. Shubman Gill’s deputy, Rishabh Pant, could be sacked from his role as the vice-captain of the test team. The wicketkeeper batter was announced as the vice-captain before India’s tour of England last year, where Shubman Gill led the team in the longest format for the first time. Pant has endured a tough time as the captain in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 with the Lucknow Super Giants.
The wicketkeeper batter has captained the Super Giants as they languish at the bottom of the points table after playing 13 games. Pant, being in line to play his 50th test against Afghanistan, could be out of his vice-captaincy role, according to multiple reports.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the selection team led by Ajit Agarkar will be sitting together to select the players for the one-off test against Afghanistan. However, while it is yet to be seen which players will be selected the latest reports emerging are that Pant could lose his test vice-captaincy spot. Ahead of the Lucknow Super Giants’ penultimate Indian Premier League game of the season on Sunday, May 17, news agency PTI reported the occurrence.
Pant’s challenging two years at LSG, where he has failed to establish himself as a leader in T20 cricket, is thought to have sparked the conversations. Although he is still guaranteed a spot in the Indian Test team as a wicketkeeper-batter, a significant decision about his leadership role in the Indian setup may be made at the national selectors’ meeting in Guwahati on May 19.
Rishabh Pant has had a torrid time at the Lucknow Super Giants in the last two seasons. The wicketkeeper batter has been bought for ₹27 crores, becoming the most expensive player in the history of the IPL. While the price tag carries a lot of pressure, the BCCI selection team believes that it is the additional captaincy pressure which is taking a toll on Pant’s performance.
In 24 innings since IPL 2025, Pant has scored only 520 runs. His average during this period is a meagre 26 as the 28-year-old has struggled for consistency. Meanwhile, during a period where the run-scoring has been the highest, Pant is striking at a rate of only 135.77. As a captain, there have not been many positives for Pant as well. In 26 games as the captain, LSG under his captaincy has won only 10 games. In IPL 2026, the Super Giants became the first team to be eliminated from the race to the playoffs.
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
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