Former chief selector Kiran More backed Rishabh Pant to bounce back after the wicketkeeper-batter lost the Test team vice-captaincy role to KL Rahul. He has been named in the 15-member squad to face Afghanistan, but won’t be Shubman Gill’s deputy anymore. Rahul will be the vice-captain in the one-off Test match, which starts on June 6.
More feels that this is just a ‘phase’ in Pant’s career, which comes in every cricketer’s life. Predicting a comeback, he pointed out his away Test record for India. More also supported the decision to remove Pant from the vice-captaincy role, feeling that it would ‘free him from the burden of leadership’.
‘Trying to free him from the burden of leadership’: Kiran More
Speaking to ANI, he said, “Rishabh Pant is a terrific player and a fighter, and this is the phase that comes in every cricketer’s life. It does not matter if you are captain and vice captain, you play for India and win matches. He will always make a comeback, and he will play test matches and win them for India.”
“He has made a lot of centuries for India away from home. I do not think he will be disturbed. I think coaches are trying to free him from the burden of leadership, and I think this is the way they are going,” he added.
LSG have arguably been the worst team in IPL 2026, and ahead of their final game, they are bottom of the table with eight points in 13 games. They have managed to clinch only four wins, crashing to nine defeats.
Pant has failed to justify his price tag after LSG acquired him for ₹27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He has managed only 286 runs this season in 13 matches, at an average of 28.60 and a strike rate of 140.19, which reflects his poor form.
He was also left out of the ODI squad. Speaking to the media, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said, “Obviously, he is not part of the ODI squad at the moment. We want him to become the best Test player that he has always been. I don’t think there is any concern with his spot in the Test team. I think he is one of our main batters in that line-up.”
“(He) had a really good tour of England till he got injured. So, I am sure he would like a few more runs. But he has always been very good in Test cricket. At this point, yes, we have gone with two different (wicketkeeping) options in one-day cricket. But in Test cricket, he remains one of our main players.”
