Rishabh Pant was named vice-captain of the Indian Test team by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the tour of England beginning June 20, adding another feather to the cap of the 27-year-old and his illustrious run in the longest format.Pant returns to a familiar land in England, where he debuted in whites for India seven years ago. Since then, he has played 43 Tests for the country, aggregating 2948 runs at an average and strike rate of 42.11 alongside 73.62 respectively.
The southpaw has slammed 15 half-centuries and six tons, comprising 320 fours and 73 maximums as well. When he gets his eye in, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) star has shown an ability to go for the big scores, notching seven 90+ scores, getting dismissed in all of them – showing a tendency to fall prey to the nervous 90s syndrome.
Regardless, these are exemplary numbers for someone who has played 48 of his 75 innings at No. 6 or below. When the ball gets old, it’s often a situation where the middle-order batters have to arrest a collapse, rally the tail along and simultaneously amp up the scoring rate – arts that Pant has mastered over the years.
But more importantly, what have stood out for the left-handed batter are his consistent positive outings on away surfaces. In 30 away matches, he has notched 1887 runs at an average of 37, striking at 66.84 – on the back of six half-centuries and four tons, having slammed 196 fours and 39 maximums.He is the only Indian wicket-keeper to have scored centuries in Australia, England, and South Africa, particularly in tours where other Indian batters, often seasoned ones, crumbled under pressure.Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, his closest counterparts in the side, average 27 and 31 respectively away from India – despite the latter racking up multiple tons in challenging surfaces on the road.As a vice-captain, Pant will be in charge of leadership duties, but also of marshalling the batting unit. In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, he will be the lynchpin holding the order together having demonstrated impeccable proficiency against speedsters and spinners alike.The first challenge of that begins with the tour of England, where he has played nine Tests, scoring 556 runs, thanks to two 50+ scores and centuries each, including a three-figure score in his latest game there at The Oval in 2022. Will he stand true to those responsibilities while balancing the new leadership role? Only time will tell.First Published: May 24, 2025 6:15 PM IST
