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BCCI Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar on Tuesday said there are no concerns over the Test future of Rishabh Pant despite his exclusion from the ODI setup and the recent change in leadership responsibilities.The
Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday unveiled the squad for the upcoming Test match and three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. India are set to face Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series from June 14 to June 20, following a one-off Test starting from June 6. Pant was removed as vice-captain of India's Test side, while also being left out of the ODI squad for the ensuing three-match series against the same opponents. KL Rahul has replaced Pant as vice-captain in the Test squad, which will be led by Shubman Gill. The one-off Test will be held in Mullanpur. Addressing questions on Pant's removal as vice-captain (Test) and his absence from the ODI squad, Agarkar said the wicketkeeper-batter remains a key part of India's Test plans and continues to be viewed as a core member of the red-ball side. "Look, I mean, Rishabh's an incredible test player. I mean, obviously, he's not part of the one-day squad at the moment, and we want him to become the best test player that he's always been. I don't think there's any concern with his spot in the Test team. I think he's one of our main batters in that lineup, and he had a really good tour of England till he got injured." Agarkar told reporters during the announcement of the ODI and Test squad for the upcoming Afghanistan series. "I mean, I'm sure he'd like a few more runs, but he's always been very good in Test cricket. So, not as far as Test cricket is concerned. At this point, yes, we've gone with two different options in one-day cricket, but Test cricket he remains one of our main players." India and Afghanistan have previously faced each other in only one Test match, in Bengaluru in 2018, where India secured an innings-and-262-run victory inside two days. India Test squad vs Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel. (ANI)
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