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Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has slammed chief selector Ajit Agarkar over the decision to remove Rishabh Pant as India's Test vice-captain. Kaif questioned why Pant lost the leadership role despite continuing to be one of India's most important players in the longest format.
Rishabh Pant was recently in the spotlight during India's 165-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 39 in the first innings before producing a brisk 66 in the second innings, helping India set Sri Lanka a challenging target.
KL Rahul replaced Rishabh Pant as India Test vice-captain
Rishabh Pant was removed as India's Test vice-captain in May 2026, with KL Rahul taking over the role ahead of the home series against Afghanistan. The selectors, however, stressed that Pant remained an integral part of India's Test plans despite losing the leadership position.
Pant's importance to the Test side was once again evident in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. He scored 39 off 62 balls in India's first innings and followed it up with a quick 66 off 69 deliveries in the second innings.
His second-innings knock came at a crucial stage as India looked to build a sizeable lead after taking a 178-run advantage from the first innings. Rishabh Pant's aggressive batting helped India post good target before eventually bowling Sri Lanka out for 206.
Pant has also maintained an impressive record in Test cricket. In 51 matches, he has scored 3,662 runs in 89 innings at an average of 43.59, with eight centuries and 20 fifties. His highest score is an unbeaten 159.
Removing him from vice-captaincy is beyond my understanding - Mohammad Kaif slams Rishabh Pant
Mohammad Kaif believes Pant's standing in Test cricket should not be judged by his recent struggles in white-ball cricket. The former India batter argued that Pant remains a match-winning player in Tests and deserves a leadership role.
"I still don't understand why he was removed as the vice-captain. There's a big difference between white-ball and Test cricket. The problem is that we connect the two. Many players have gone ahead of him in white-ball cricket, but there is nobody close to him in Tests," Mohammad Kaif said in a video shared on his official YouTube channel.
Kaif also pointed towards Pant's brief stint as India's stand-in captain when Shubman Gill was injured, suggesting that the decision to assess his leadership abilities after just one Test was unfair. He said:
"Removing him from vice-captaincy is beyond my understanding. He deserves to be the vice-captain in Tests. He got the captaincy against South Africa when Shubman Gill got injured. We judged from just one Test match that he is not good at captaincy."
He has fallen behind in white-ball cricket and could not score a lot of runs in the IPL - Mohammad Kaif on Rishabh Pant
While Kaif strongly backed Pant's credentials in Test cricket, he acknowledged that the wicketkeeper-batter has struggled to maintain the same impact in white-ball cricket.
Kaif pointed out that Pant's latest Test performance once again demonstrated why he remains such a valuable player for India in the longest format. At the same time, he believes Pant needs to rebuild his reputation in white-ball cricket after a difficult period.
"A few people questioned Rishabh Pant's form. But his knock in India's second innings is another example that Rishabh Pant is the most impactful batter in Test matches. Indian team got the chance to bowl more overs because of his brisk knock. Even if overs had been reduced due to rain, because Rishabh Pant scored quickly, India would have had some more time."
"He has fallen behind in white-ball cricket and could not score a lot of runs in the IPL. He needs to up the graph in white-ball cricket. He will have to start all over again. IPL has a big impact on white-ball cricket, and his bat has been quiet for the last two years," Kaif added.
Also Read: Pant becomes fastest batter to 100 Test sixes, badly beats Adam Gilchrist
