Gambhir on Pant losing Test vice-captaincy: ‘Everyone is judged on performance’

Gambhir said that Pant won’t be told to change the way he plays. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

“As far as Rishabh is concerned, we will expect him to be the way he is. It’s not like we will tell him you have to change your game. But, it is important to play according to the situation in international cricket. It is important to create situations. Thinking what the team needs in a certain situation and playing your shots accordingly. But no player has been told to abandon their natural game and play differently. Whether it be Tests or ODIs or T20Is. Ultimately it is about making runs and taking wickets. Make runs whichever way you want, but it is very important to read the situation of the game,” he said.

The series comes after a nightmarish time in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) for Pant, at the end of which he resigned as captain of the Lucknow Super Giants, with the team finishing last in the table. Before that, Pant had a couple of indifferent outings in India’s stunning 2-0 loss in a Test series at home to South Africa. That series, however, was Pant’s first after recovering from an injury that he sustained in India’s five-Test series in England, in which he was among the standout performers. Pant had scored centuries in both innings of the opening Test and then scored half-centuries in three of his next five innings.