Rishabh Pant’s banter and motivation behind the stumps inspire India’s bowling attack against Afghanistan.

The Indian wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant has returned behind the stumps with some banter and motivation for Kuldeep Yadav. When the chinaman was bowling his over, Rahmanullah Gurbaz sat down for a brief moment to which Pant responded by asking if he could do the same in One-Day cricket. Kuldeep Yadav wasn't exactly at his best with the ball as he couldn't pick a wicket and he was the most expensive bowler of the day. Rishabh Pant advised him to reduce the spin on his delivery and he applauded his efforts in the field as well.

“One-day me aise baith sakta hai?” asked Rishabh Pant to Rahmanullah Gurbaz when he paused and sat down on his knees for a couple of seconds.

India have been dominating the test match right from day 1 with some splendid

batting performances. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill took control over the innings with a century to each of the batters. After India declared the innings, the visitors weren't able to establish a solid partnership and that affected them quite badly. Manav Suthar picked up 3 crucial wickets on his debut and he has exercised his control over the Afghanistan batting unit. Afghanistan have a massive deficit of runs to overcome and it seems highly impossible at this point of time.

#RishabhPant back behind the stumps = doing what he does best! 🔥 From encouraging #KuldeepYadav to chirping at the batter, he’s keeping everyone entertained 🎙️#INDvAFG | Only Test ➡️ DAY 2 | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/6GHfw2TEnv pic.twitter.com/qfrR3ZMV2k

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 7, 2026

Pant’s energy behind stumps keeps bowling attack lively

Rishabh Pant’s role behind the stumps has been a crucial one for India for a long time and the fans would have loved to see him back behind the stumps. He played a sensational knock in the first innings as well, scoring 81 runs off 121 balls. He was a bit slow to start off initially but later on he began to dominate the Afghanistani spinners.

“KD yaar thodi spin kam hui, KD ye wali: What a middler yaar KD, kya ball pakdtha hai” said Rishabh Pant to Kuldeep Yadav during his over. Kuldeep Yadav was desperate to get a breakthrough and Pant’s words of motivation behind the stumps would have lightened the pressure.

Rishabh Pant’s role behind the stumps cannot be undermined as he is a visionary wicketkeeper. Kuldeep Yadav was struggling with his form in the IPL as well and Rishabh Pant’s support would do him a great deal of good. Pant also tried to talk his way into the batter’s head and that is something he excels in doing behind the stumps.

India will be confident that they can secure their victory in home soil against Afghanistan. The first innings was dominated by the Indian batters and they gave absolutely no chance for the Afghanistan bowlers. India declared at 564 and the hosts would have felt that this could be a winning total against the visitors. Afghanistan crumbled under pressure right from the beginning of their innings as they lost 4 wickets for just 98 runs.

Prasidh Krishna and Manav Suthar have ripped apart their batting unit and a fightback from this point would be a vague chance. India will be hoping to wrap up this test match as quickly as possible and to gain some leverage in the WTC cycle. After a disappointing series previously against South Africa at home, India will be delighted to win this series against Afghanistan.