'They have to provide clarity' - Sadagoppan Ramesh slams team management ahead of IND vs AFG 2026 Test

Former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh lashed out at the Indian team management and selectors after Rishabh Pant's removal as India's Test vice-captain. The cricketer-turned-expert stated that Pant's performance as an IPL captain, which hasn't been great, can't be the yardstick for his leadership skills in Test matches.

Ramesh highlighted Pant's exemplary performance on India's Test tour of England last year. While skipper Shubman Gill got a lot of credit for his Player of the Series-winning performance, Pant also played a key role as a young Indian team drew the five-match series 2-2. The wicketkeeper-batter finished with 479 runs in seven innings at an average of 68.42 and a strike rate of 77.63.

"I cannot understand the decision to move on from Rishabh Pant. You can't look at the IPL and consider his captaincy there in this decision. If Shubman Gill got credit for his captaincy and batting in England, the same should apply to Pant. The management only has to provide clarity on why they've moved on from Pant," Ramesh said on Star Sports.

"Pant deserves just as much credit as Gill for the series in England. He also delivered extraordinary batting performances with inspiring knocks. It's clear that there is a tactical change somewhere with this decision. But Rahul has captained India in tougher series, so his experience should be handy for Gill," he added.

"He will enjoy Test captaincy more than captaining in ODIs" - S Ramesh on Shubman Gill

Ramesh believes that Shubman will enjoy captaining the Test team more than the ODI side because there are a lot of youngsters whom he can groom.

"He has already ticked most of the question marks about him as captain in the England series. He proved by batting so well that he can conquer tough challenges. He will enjoy Test captaincy more than captaining in ODIs because they went to him with the team struggling in Tests. He is surrounded by many legends in the ODI team. But with the Test team, he is given an opportunity to groom a young team," said Ramesh (via the aforementioned source).