Rishabh Pant DEMOTED? BCCI's Shock Switch of Vice-Captaincy Faces Heat Ahead of India-Afghanistan One-Off Test

India vs Afghanistan One-Off Test: Has Rishabh Pant been demoted in the pecking order now that the vice-captaincy has been handed over to KL Rahul? Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes so and hence he has lashed out at the Board of Control of Cricket in India. While slamming the Indian board, Chopra also pointed out that Pant has brought it onto himself by not getting runs with the bat. 

It is clear that his inconsistent display over the last few series had already pushed him to the brink and now, by removing him as the vice-captain, the team management might want to send him a strong message.

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‘He has been demoted’

"Rishabh Pant will have to score runs as he has been demoted. For no rhyme or reason, he has been demoted. His stats are excellent but because he has not performed well in other formats, he has been penalised," said Chopra in a video on his YouTube channel.

India coach Gautam Gambhir has also given a straight-forward message to the southpaw. Gambhir doesn't want Pant to change his style but wants the wicketkeeper to understand situations more carefully.

He said, “We don't want Rishabh Pant to change, but international cricket demands players to respect match situations.”

Given his poor form, there is little to no doubt that the spotlight would firmly be on him. He would hope he gets among the runs and gets some confidence back as he is clearly lacking it now. To make matters worse, Pant had an IPL 2026 to forget. Apart from a couple of good knocks, Pant could not inspire Lucknow Super Giants to the title. 

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There is no doubt that India would start overwhelming favourites against Afghanistan.