Guwahati, May 19: Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), stated on Tuesday that he and his selection committee hope to see wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant return to his former glory as a top Test player.
Agarkar’s comments come after KL Rahul was appointed as the vice-captain for the Test team against Afghanistan, while Ishan Kishan was included in the ODI squad in place of Pant.
The 28-year-old Pant has won several Test matches for India with his aggressive batting style. However, questions have been raised about his captaincy skills. Under Pant’s leadership, the Lucknow Super Giants currently sit at the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table.
Selectors have excluded Pant from the ODI series against Afghanistan, giving Ishan Kishan the opportunity, who has been in excellent form for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026.
During a virtual press conference, Agarkar said, “Rishabh is a tremendous Test player. Clearly, he is not part of the ODI team at this time. We want him to return to being the outstanding Test player he has always been. I don’t think there’s any concern regarding his place in the Test team. I believe he is one of our key batsmen in the Test batting order. His tour of England was quite good until he got injured.”
He added, “I am confident that he will want to score more runs, but his performance in Test cricket has always been excellent. So, as far as Test cricket is concerned, there is no worry. Yes, we have chosen two different options for ODI cricket, but in Test cricket, he is one of our main players.”
Meanwhile, Rahul has previously captained India in three Test matches. Agarkar believes that this experience will benefit the team, especially if Shubman Gill gets injured.
He stated, “KL has been a Test captain before. Obviously, Rishabh was the vice-captain, and we want him to be a great batsman, as he has always been in Test cricket. Right now, we feel that in terms of experience, this is our best option for vice-captain. If such a situation arises—like we saw during the series against South Africa when Shubman got injured—KL provides us with the necessary experience we need in such situations. Additionally, he has performed well against England and the West Indies and has considerable experience.”
Jasprit Bumrah is not part of this tournament. Regarding the fast bowler, Agarkar said, “(Jasprit) Bumrah is obviously increasing his workload. Hopefully, he will be back in the team by the time we tour England. So, I can’t recall any other player who is out due to injury or any similar reason. Therefore, unless you mention a specific player, I won’t be able to answer that question.”
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