India, May 20 -- Rishabh Pant is stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he is getting pummelled for his performances as both batter and captain of the eliminated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and on the other, his place in the Indian team appears to be slipping away. The management has already moved on from him in the ODI and T20I scheme of things, and after the rap on the knuckles he received from the chairman of selectors - the BCCI removing him as India's vice-captain - a demotion in Test cricket hasn't come at the right time either.

It is understandable why Pant suffered not one, but two brainfade moments - including a shocking F-bomb - with Ian Bishop last evening. Barely an hour before ...