Rishabh Pant could probably be stripped of the leadership role in India cricket team’s upcoming Test schedule after his failures as a leader in the last few months. After Shubman Gill was named as the Test captain just after IPL 2025, replacing Rohit Sharma in the role in the series against England, the southpaw was named as his deputy. In 2025, Pant scored just 629 runs from 7 Tests, having struck two hundreds and 4 fifties at an average of 48.38 in 2025.
Pant to be removed as vice-captain?
As per news agency PTI, the national selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, are set to decide on Pant’s future as the vice-captain of the Test team when the committee meets in Guwahati on Tuesday (May 19). The reports states that the selectors feel that a leadership role isn’t sitting well with Pant, and hence, he might be relieved of it for the one-off Test against Afghanistan just after IPL 2026.
“Indian cricket simply cannot afford to lose a batting match-winner like Rishabh. He has won and set-up Test matches with his aggressive batting. There is a growing feeling among men who matter that whenever he has been entrusted with additional responsibility, he doesn’t seem to make good decisions while batting,” a source told PTI.
Pant has been India’s go-to wicketkeeper-batter in Tests since his return after a deadly accident. To date, he has over 3400 runs to his name from just 49 Tests, making him one of the most formidable and fearful Indian players in the longest format of the game over the past few years. Rishabh has captained India in just one match, which was in the game against South Africa in Guwahati in November 2025. India went to lose the Test by 408 runs.
| Mat | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 3476 | 159* | 42.91 | 74.24 | 8 | 18 |
The report also claims that the selection committee is looking at giving him an opportunity to play freely, devoid on any leadership roles. In that case, the southpaw faces competition in the form KL Rahul – who is a regular in the Test side – and who could be India’s go-to wicketkeeper.
“Giving him an opportunity to play freely could be foremost on the minds of the selection committee,” the source added.
Barring a 134 and 118-run knocks against England in June 2025, Pant failed to fare well in the rest of the Tests that he featured in, despite having 4 other 50+ scores. A foot injury resulted in him missing a few Test games, before returning to action in the series against South Africa in November, where he registered scores of 27, 2, 7 and 13 in four innings.
