Want Pant To Become The Best Test Player That He Has Always Been, Says Agarkar

Want Pant to become the best Test player that he has always been, says Agarkar (Image Source: IANS)

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia: Chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Tuesday said he and his panel want wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant to ‘become the best Test player that he has always been,’ after he was replaced as Test vice-captain by KL Rahul for the one-off game against Afghanistan and lost his spot in the ODI team to Ishan Kishan.

Pant, 28, has won India a lot of Test matches with his aggressive batting, but doubts over his leadership abilities, including with Lucknow Super Giants being rooted to the bottom spot of the IPL 2026 points table, have meant that he’s been relieved as vice-captain in the longer format.

With his recent white-ball form not living up to the lofty expectations attached with him, Pant has been left out of the 50-over format as selectors brought in Kishan, who capped a stellar return to the T20I team by being a member of the T20 World Cup winning side, and has been in blistering form for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026.

“I mean, Rishabh is an incredible Test player. I mean, obviously, he is not part of the one-day squad at the moment. 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.

“So no, not… I mean, I am sure he would like a few more runs. But he has always been very good in Test cricket. So, not as far as test cricket is concerned. At this point, yes, we have gone with two different options in one-day cricket. But in Test cricket, he remains one of our main players,” said Agarkar in a virtual press conference.

Rahul, meanwhile, has captained India in three Tests before, and Agarkar felt that having previous experience of being in the top job will keep the side in good stead if Shubman Gill suffers an injury.

“I mean, KL has been a Test captain before. Obviously, Rishabh was the vice-captain, and we want him to be the best batter that he can be, and that he has always been in Test cricket. So, no, there is no other reason. Futuristic, I mean, that's the best option we think at this point that we have as far as vice-captain with experience.

“In case, we saw during the South African series as well, when Shubman got injured, and KL provides us with the necessary experience that you need in case the situation arises. Plus, he has obviously had a really good tour of England and against the West Indies and has lots of experience,” he added.

Left-arm spin bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel have been out of the Test and ODI team, respectively, with Harsh Dubey handed a call-up to both sides. Jadeja had picked up a knee niggle and was rested from Rajasthan Royals’ five-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals in New Delhi on Sunday night.

“I think Jadeja has just been rested for this Test. I think we just want to try and give the opportunity. He is aware of it. That's why he is not on the team. He still remains a very integral part of the test team. So, I think that we sort of didn't mention that at the start.

“It's just this test that he is not part of. With regards to one-day cricket, again, with 15-16 months left to that World Cup, somewhere around there, we want to obviously try and assess what our options are, particularly keeping in mind the conditions in South Africa, and give a little bit of exposure to some of the newer guys.

“I mean, we know what Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel can do, and this is the time we try to give some opportunity to some of the other guys. So, with regards to Test, he remains our number one spinner. It's only this test that we have not picked him or rested him, rather,” elaborated Agarkar.

Agarkar also touched upon other pacers, Mohammed Shami, who has been out of the national set-up after the 2025 Champions Trophy win, and Auqib Nabi, who picked 60 wickets in Jammu and Kashmir, winning its first-ever Ranji Trophy. While Agarkar said there was no discussion on Shami during the meeting, Nabi’s name did come up in the chat.

“I mean, no, because as far as we have been told, at this point, his body is allowing him to. I know he has played the domestic season and all that this year. But from the information that I have got, it seems that at this point, you know, T20 cricket is what he is sort of ready for. I mean, so there was no discussion regarding his name.

“Auqib Nabi, of course, is someone who has had, not just this season, but has done well last season. There is always a chat around that. You don't necessarily pick a lot of seamers when you pick a Test team in India. He was close, but at this point, we have gone with the three that we have picked. But there was certainly a chat around that. There is no doubt, he has had some incredible performances for Jammu and Kashmir.”

Asked if someone else apart from Jadeja, Akash Deep, and Harshit Rana are injured, Agarkar said, “No, I can't think of anyone. Unless you think of somebody to ask me, I might be able to answer about the player. But no, I mean, Jadeja is obviously missing a Test that is clearly one of the guys.

“(Jasprit) Bumrah, obviously, is getting his workload up. Hopefully, he'll be back when we tour England. So, I can't think of anyone else that's missing because of injury or along those lines. So, unless you think of somebody, I'll answer the question.”

Asked if someone else apart from Jadeja, Akash Deep, and Harshit Rana are injured, Agarkar said, “No, I can't think of anyone. Unless you think of somebody to ask me, I might be able to answer about the player. But no, I mean, Jadeja is obviously missing a Test that is clearly one of the guys.

“Had it been the Indian team's situation, our control would have been more. Now, we are giving that freedom to the franchisees to take a call on their players, and we definitely look into their fitness level when it comes to selecting the national team.”

Article Source: IANS