In a major change, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the selectors have decided to name KL Rahul as the vice-captain for the Indian Test team in the one-off game against Afghanistan. The Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter, who has been a regular for India in the longest format of the game, replaces Rishabh Pant in the leadership role. The decision to strip Rishabh of the vice-captaincy role comes after a poor IPL 2026 season for the LSG captain, and with the selectors believing that the southpaw will be able to unlock his full potential without being burdened by a vice-captaincy role.
KL Rahul replaces Pant as Test vice-captain
Rahul has captained the Indian Test team only on three occasions previously – vs South Africa in Johannesburg in 2022, and vs Bangladesh twice in the same year. Being one of the seniors in the Indian Test team following the departures of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Rahul has been rightfully elevated as the vice-captain. Last year, the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar decided to make Pant the vice-captain while naming Shubman Gill as the new captain of the side following the abrupt retirement of Rohit Sharma.
One of the main reasons behind the selectors losing confidence in Pant as the Test team vice-captain could be the southpaw’s lacklustre performance in IPL 2026. The LSG captain, who wasn’t a part of the T20 World Cup, returned to action in the cash-rich league. However, in 12 matches, he managed to score just 251 runs at an average of 27.88, and a highest score of an unbeaten 68-run knock. Besides, it looked like the leadership role was also taking a toll on Rishabh as LSG became the second side after the Mumbai Indians to be knocked out of the IPL 2026 playoffs race.
Well, Rishabh Pant losing the vice-captaincy wasn’t unexpected. Earlier, reports suggested Rishabh Pant’s vice-captaincy is in danger. In fact, he did not impress the team management as the captain in the Test against South Africa in Subman Gill’s absence. In the IPL, he has often been criticised for his captaincy. The BCCI believes that if he is relieved of leadership duties, India can regain the aggressive Test batter who won the team some memorable matches.
India squad for one-off Test vs Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel
