Guwahati: Flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s poor form over the past six months cost him India’s Test vice-captaincy and a place in the ODI squad for the home series against Afghanistan as the national selectors took a few tough calls here on Tuesday.
India will host Afghanistan for a one-off Test, which is not a part of World Test Championship cycle, along with three ODIs in June. The Test will take place in Mullanpur from June 6, followed by three ODIs scheduled from June 14 across Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Chennai.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, following a meeting here, also decided to induct rookie left-arm orthodox spin duo of Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey in the Test squad along with 6 feet 6 inches tall Punjab speedster Gurnoor Brar, who has only played two Ranji Trophy games this season.
As a PTI report indicated on May 17, Pant, who has been going through a prolonged lean patch in the IPL both as a batter and captain for Lucknow Super Giants, faced the heat with the selectors replacing him with veteran KL Rahul as the Test vice-captain.
In ODIs, Ishan Kishan has replaced him as second keeper to Rahul and pacer Prince Yadav has also made the cut.
Agarkar, who is known for taking tough calls, made it clear that the committee wants Pant to be the best version of the Test batter that he has shown to be in the past, especially during tough overseas assignments.
“Rishabh is an incredible Test player. He is not in the ODI team at the moment. We want him to become the best Test player that he can be. I don’t think there is any concern about his spot in the Test team,” Agarkar replied to a query from PTI during a virtual interaction.
“He (Pant) had a really good tour of England till he got injured (toe fracture). I am sure he would like a few more runs but he has been very good in Test cricket. Yes, we have gone with two options (Rahul and Kishan) in ODI cricket but in Test he remains one of our main players,” he added implying that the flamboyant batter is not in India’s white ball scheme of things.
Agarkar also felt that at this point, Rahul, who has led India in Test matches in the past, would be a perfect deputy for Gill.
Is making Rahul a vice-captain futuristic call? Agarkar said at this point, it was the best option.
“KL has been Test captain before. Obviously, Rishabh was vice captain but we want him to be the best batter that he can be and as he has always been in Test cricket. No other reason. Futuristic or not? Well, we think that’s the best option that we have as far as vice captain is concerned,” he said.
“And we saw when Gill was injured in Kolkata, KL provided us with necessary experience in case the situation arose. Also he had a really good trip of England, and against West Indies. So there’s lots of experience.”
Curtains for Axar Patel?
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While Agarkar firmly maintained that seasoned all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is very much an integral part of the Test squad and he has been rested to check some of the young spinners, Axar Patel has been dropped from both the squads.
Left-arm spinners Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey have been in India’s list of targetted players for the past two seasons and it isn’t a surprise that they have been picked in the Test squad. Dubey, in fact, has also been picked in the ODI squad.
“Jadeja has just been rested for this Test. We are trying to give an opportunity to some of the others and he is aware of it. He still remains an integral part of the Test team. It’s just this Test that he is not a part of (the squad),” Agarkar explained.
While he made it clear that selectors are looking at Dubey as a potential white ball spin bowling all-rounder, it is clear that neither Jadeja nor Axar are exactly in a happy place as far as their 2027 50-over World Cup prospects are concerned.
“Again with regards to ODIs, with 15-16 months, we want to assess what our options are particularly assessing conditions in South Africa and give a chance to newer guys. With regards to Test cricket, he remains our No.1 spinner,” Agarkar clarified.
In case of Axar, his inability to turn the ball even on helpful tracks and his deteriorating batting form has led to his ouster.
Faith in Nitish Reddy’s all-round skills
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Just like head coach Gautam Gambhir, even Agarkar feels that Nitish Kumar Reddy will improve as he gets to play matches for India at the highest level.
“I think we have seen a lot of progress over last few months with regards to his bowling. The more he plays, better he will get. He will be a critical part of our team if he keeps developing,” the chairman of selectors said.
If Rohit, Hardik don’t get fit, we will take a call
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Veterans Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have been picked in the ODI squad subject to fitness.
“May be in next two weeks, if we are told those two guys haven’t made it, we will take a call accordingly. At this point, I have been told, they are on track. I have full faith in what the Indian physios tell me,” he said.
The Squads:
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Test: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), 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.
ODI: Shubman Gill (captain), Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar.
