2 min readJun 4, 2026 07:08 PM IST
India assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate said that Rishabh Pant and Gautam Gambhir had a chat ahead of India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan, slated to start in Mullanpur on Saturday. Pant hasn’t been in the best of forms lately with the wicket-keeper batter’s manner of dismissals in the Test series against South Africa last year coming under scrutiny.
“I think he’s committed to playing a good role model and senior player. I actually heard him and Gauti (Gambhir’s nickname) having a chat around that yesterday. ‘How you want to conduct yourself as a senior player’, expanding to the communications or so, how you’re going to play,” Ten Doeschate said when asked how Pant was adjusting to the recent changes, including his removal from vice-captaincy.
“I don’t think he needs a formal title to be a leader in an elite setup like this, and I think Rishabh understands that,” he added.
The former Dutch player also said that India do not want Pant to curb his brilliance but the team management does want him to tone down his impetuosity based on match situations.
“With Rishabh’s brilliance, we don’t want to take away all the stuff that he does but occasionally if he can adjust his game to play the (match) situations slightly more, I think that’s something you’ll see him work on,” Ten Doeschate said.
“He’s been in great spirits again. He’s always one of those guys who’s happy and cheerful and sort of drives the spirit in the team and we’ve got no complaints from him. You wouldn’t notice that his role in the leadership structure has changed, so no concerns about Rishabh, and I can’t wait to see him play again,” he added.
The one-off India vs Afghanistan Test will be the first part of Afghanistan’s tour of India, with the match being followed by three ODIs. It will also be the first time that a Test match will be played in the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.
