It has been a tumultuous few weeks for Rishabh Pantwith the star wicket-keeper batsman losing his vice-captaincy in India’s Test team. On Thursday, it was revealed that India head coach Gautam Gambhir had held a lengthy discussion with Pant over his conduct as a senior player, and how to adjust according to game situations. Gambhir reiterated those points on Friday while speaking on Pant’s removal as vice-captain, in the press conference ahead of India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan. In particular, Gambhir emphasized on the need for Pant to respect match situations.
Addressing Rishabh Pant’s removal as Test vice-captain, Gambhir said the batsman has his backing but needs to read the game situation better.
“We don’t want Rishabh Pant to change but international cricket demands players to respect match situations,” Gambhir said.
Pant’s flamboyant style of cricket, particularly in Tests, has led to several heroic knocks in the past, often guiding Team India to victory. However, the 28-year-old batter has also gotten out in tricky situations while trying to play big shots.
Ahead of the series, Pant was removed as vice-captain of the Test team, with that responsibility being handed over to KL Rahul. Soon after, Pant requested to be relieved from captaincy duties at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after finishing rock bottom in IPL 2026.
While Pant’s approach has its supporters and critics, his record as a batter in red-ball cricket is arguably the best among any Indian wicket-keeper to date. He has made 3,476 runs in 49 matches, at an average of nearly 43, with eight centuries as well.
However, the mercurially-talented southpaw has been unable to translate his performances to white-ball cricket. Pant’s average drops to 33.50 in ODIs and to only 23.25 in T20Is. During Gambhir’s tenure, he has faded away from selection in white-ball cricket, with the likes of KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson all preferred over him.
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