India Vs South Africa, 2nd Test: Check Out Stand-In Skipper Rishabh Pant's Captaincy Record

Having to lead the side in a sole Test is not ideal, but Rishabh Pant must do it as the stand-in captain for India in the second and final Test against South Africa in Guwahati, starting Saturday (November 22, 2025). The hosts need to win the Test, if they are to avoid a second series defeat at home in the last three.

Pant was handed the leadership reins after injured regular captain Shubman Gill was released from the squad ahead of the match. "One-off match is not best scenario for a captain but I am thankful to BCCI for giving me this honour.

"Sometimes, if you think too much about a big occasion, it doesn't help," Pant said at the pre-match press conference. "I don't want to over-think. We had a tough first Test and we need to do whatever is required to win the Test," he added.

Pant said the team management has already taken a decision on Gill's replacement for the game but did not divulge the name. "We have taken a decision on who will play in place of Shubman. The person who will play knows he is playing."

He added, "I want to be conventional and also blend with out-of-box thinking. Want to have nice balance...We have to keep things simple and the team that plays better cricket will win it."

Rishabh Pant Captaincy Record

Wicketkeeper-batter Pant has led India in the T20I format previously. He captained the side in 2022 at home, incidentally against the same opposition as the ongoing series: South Africa. In five matches under his helm, India won two and lost two, while one game was washed out in Bengaluru.

In the Indian Premier League, Pant has been skipper for Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants. He has led in 57 overall games, of which he has won 30 and lost 27. The southpaw is yet to win the coveted trophy.

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India Vs South Africa, 2nd Test: Squads

India: Rishabh Pant (c/wk), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, B Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Devdutt Padikkal, Akash Deep.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne (wk).

(With PTI inputs)