It’s a no-brainer for some in Indian cricket: the extra weight of responsibility hasn’t done him any favours. You only have to look at his two stints as LSG captain to see why key people have their doubts. Then you had the Test in Guwahati last November when he was standing in for Shubman Gill against South Africa; a lot of us thought his fielding calls were off, and it’s something they will be mulling over before the next job.
“Rishabh has made and won Test matches with the way he goes about his business. But there is a sense among those who count that when you put more on his plate, he doesn’t make the right kind of decisions with the bat,” one BCCI source put it. “We can’t have that.”
What the selectors will weigh in Guwahati
So while the Test side is not going to be overhauled, whether he should remain Gill’s number two is the topic of the day. The idea is to let him be himself again.
ODI ripple effects and keeper competition
But it’s not just the red ball where he has to prove his worth. As second in line to KL Rahul in the ODI set-up, he has to answer to form and the likes of Dhruv Jurel, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. If the selectors think they need to ring-fence his batting, that contest could get even tougher. The word from the top is to take the pressure off so India can have that edge.
Bumrah and other selection calls
Then there is the matter of Jasprit Bumrah. It all comes down to what the medicals say.
“If we are happy his workload is within limits, he could be there for the Test with Afghanistan. Don’t hold your breath for the ODI series, though,” a well-placed source said. “If there is the faintest problem, he is sitting out. We are being careful after the run he has had.”
Form watch: Suryakumar and coaching inputs
Suryakumar Yadav’s recent form will be in the mix too, with Gautam Gambhir having a say in how they view things.
What happens next
The plan is to have the teams for the Afghanistan series – a one-off Test from 6-10 June and three ODIs to follow – in place by the time the meeting wraps up. The Test unit will be much as it is, but if they go ahead and unburden the 28-year-old of the vice-captaincy, it is a deliberate move. They want to keep the match-winner and do without the leader who is still a work in progress.
Here is what is set to shape the meeting in Guwahati:
– Review of Pant’s Test vice-captaincy
– ODI wicketkeeper pecking order behind KL Rahul
– Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management
– Suryakumar Yadav’s place and inputs from Gautam Gambhir
Put simply, India would rather have a free-wheeling Pant than one they have to manage. The selectors in Guwahati have to make up their minds on that.
