By Vivek Prabhakar Singh

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 22 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer and chairman of selectors Kiran More extended words of encouragement to struggling wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who was removed from Test vice-captaincy after another sub-par Indian Premier League (IPL) season with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as a batter and captain.

While Pant's limited-overs cricket stocks continue to deplete with omission from India's ODI squad for the Afghanistan series at home and a poor season with LSG as a batter and captain, his Test stocks have also taken a hit, with KL Rahul getting the vice-captaincy in favour of Pant for the one-off Test against Afghanistan from June 6 onwards.

Speaking to ANI, Kiran said that Rishabh is a 'terrific player and a fighter' who will eventually fight his way out of the slump which, he says, is a part of every cricketer's life. He also backed him to win more Test matches for India, given his sensational record, especially in tough conditions away from home.

More also does not see Pant removed from vice-captaincy as a demotion but rather a process which will help him feel more free and liberated as a player.

'Rishabh Pant is a terrific player and a fighter, and this is the phase that comes in every cricketer's life. It does not matter if you are captain and vice captain, you play for India and win matches. He will always make a comeback, and he will play test matches and win them for India,' he said.

'He has made a lot of centuries for India away from home. I do not think he will be disturbed. I think coaches are trying to free him from the burden of leadership, and I think this is the way they are going,' he added.

In the ongoing IPL, Rishabh has struggled to capture his magic in the shortest format, which shot him to stardom years back, having made just 286 runs in 12 innings at an average of 28.60 and a strike rate of over 140, with just one half-century. His team also sits at the bottom of the points table, with just four wins in 13 matches, and has missed their shot of reaching the playoffs.

India Test squad vs Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), 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

India ODI squad vs Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey. (ANI)