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The BCCI has announced India's squad for the upcoming ODI and Test series against Afghanistan, which will start after the conclusion of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Surprisingly, Rishabh Pant has been removed India's vice captain in the Test format.
Big change in India's Test team
On the negative side, Rishabh could not secure a spot in the ODI squad as well, which shows that the Team management is not looking at him as an option in the white ball format.
Also Read: 9 players dropped from Team India for Afghanistan series; several big names included
Also Read: Revealed: Why Jasprit Bumrah was snubbed from entire Afghanistan tour of India 2026 squads
Appearing at the press conference, chief selector Ajit Agarkar has revealed the main reason behind Rishabh Pant's removal from the vice-captaincy.
"Obviously, he is not part of the ODI squad at the moment,"
Reflecting on Pant's removal, Agarkar revealed that the selectors want him to play freely and become the best Test player. The chief selector admitted that there is no concern about Pant's place in the Test team.
"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," said Agarkar.
"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 Test cricket, he remains one of our main players," concluded Agarkar.
Rishabh Pant's torrid IPL 2026 season
The star wicketkeeper-batter has endured a difficult campaign while leading the Lucknow Super Giants in the ongoing IPL 2026. Despite being retained for a whopping Rs 27 crore, Pant has struggled to score big knocks. The left-handed batter scored only 252 runs in 12 innings at an average of 27.88 with a strike rate of 138.46.
The star India player registered his highest score of unbeaten 68 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a league-stage game. The Lucknow based-side is already disqualified from the tournament.
India's ODI squad for Afghanistan series:
Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey
India's squad for one-off Test vs Afghanistan:
Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc) 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
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