KL Rahul elevated to Test VC replacing Rishabh Pant, India rest seniors and unleash domestic standouts against Afghanistan

The long-time harmless reputation of Rishabh Pant has faced its first hammer as he has been replaced as the Indian Test vice-captain with KL Rahul after concerns grew about his game style, his back-to-back poor IPL seasons, and his inability to score runs have raised eyebrows of many. Reports were coming that Rishabh Pant, India’s one of the finest test players, might lose his place as vice-captain, and the speculation became true when Indian selectors confirmed on the matter that for the Afghanistan series, KL Rahul is replacing Rishabh Pant as Vice-captain.

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the one-off test series, and Prasidh Krishna is going to make a comeback into the side. Along with that, the Indian selectors have continued with Sai Sudharshan and Devdutt Paddikal.

No Jadeja and Axar Patel in the squad

Senior player Axar Patel has also faced a cut from the team, and Ravindra Jadeja, and injured Akash Deep and Harshit Rana have been rested for the series. In the place of two left-arm all-rounders, the selectors have brought in two domestic heroes who did magic with spin, Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey. Manav Suthar has remained one of the finest turners of the ball in the domestics, the Rajasthan spinner is known for his ability to fight the ball. In a Duleep Trophy match in 2024, the left-arm bowler picked 7 wickets, conceding just 49 runs. Recently, the 23-year-old has made his comeback in the IPL and left the field with a serious impact.

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Harsh Dubey, an all-rounder from Vidarbha, has consistently been in the spotlight for his outstanding skills with both bat and ball. He was awarded the Player of the Tournament in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, having scored 476 runs and taken 69 wickets.

Gurnoor Brar has also got a maiden India call-up. "That is the role we are looking at anyway," chief selector Ajit Agarkar said on Dubey and Brar's selections as quoted by cricbuzz. Adding to that, Ajit Agarkar also said, "With the Test team, we can see there is a lot of transition happening at this point. We are looking at options. A couple of players have moved away from Test cricket... We want guys who can contribute with the bat down the order, but also have the necessary skill to be a front-line spin or a front-line seam bowler. We think he certainly fits the bill. We are hopeful that when he gets that opportunity, he shows what he can do. ”

Rishabh Pant is no longer the vice-captain

In the press conference, the BCCI chief selector also addressed the poor form of Rishabh Pant and said, “Rishabh is an incredible Test player. Obviously, he is not part of the one-day squad at the moment... 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 until he got injured. I am sure he would like a few more [white-ball] runs, but he has always been very good in Test cricket.”

The management clarified that there was no specific reason behind the vice-captaincy change involving Rishabh Pant. They stressed that the focus remained on helping Pant perform at his best as a batter.

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The selectors and team management felt KL Rahul was currently the best option for the vice-captaincy role because of his experience. They also pointed out that Rahul had already handled responsibility during the South Africa series when Shubman Gill was injured. His strong performances in England and against the West Indies further strengthened the decision.

India Test squad vs Afghanistan

Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel