‘We want him to become the best Test player’ – Ajit Agarkar after Rishabh Pant loses ODI spot, Test vice-captaincy

Rishabh Pant had a bitter pill to swallow on Tuesday, May 19, as he was dropped from India’s ODI squad against Afghanistan and had his vice-captaincy duties in the Test setup stripped.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee announced India’s squads as the Men in Blue are set to face Afghanistan in a one-off Test and three ODIs next month.

When asked why Pant couldn’t find a spot in the ODI setup and his vice-captaincy in Tests was taken away, Agarkar said that the selectors rate the wicketkeeper-batter highly in the longest format and ants him to become the best version of himself in the red-ball arena.

“We want him to become the best Test player that he has always been,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said of Pant’s removal as Test vice-captain and exclusion from the ODI squad.

“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 Test cricket, he remains one of our main players.

In the ODI squad, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan have been named as specialist wicketkeepers. The former is expected to be the frontrunner to don the gloves, with Kishan being his backup. As far as the Test squad is concerned, Dhruv Jurel has been picked alongside Pant for the wicketkeeper’s role.

Meanwhile, opening batter Rahul has been given the responsibility of being Shubman Gill’s deputy in the red-ball format.

The solitary Test is set to be played in New Chandigarh from June 6. Meanwhile, the three ODIs will be held in Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Chennai on June 14, 17, and 20, respectively.