Rishabh Pant will miss the first two unofficial Tests of India A's tour of New Zealand with a left side strain picked up in the Irani Cup, and 21-year-old wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra has been named his replacement.
Rishabh Pant's red-ball comeback plan has hit a snag. The wicketkeeper-batter has been ruled out of the first two four-day matches of India A's tour of New Zealand with a left side strain still on the mend, and the selectors have named 21-year-old Kumar Kushagra as his replacement. ESPNcricinfo reported the news on Monday afternoon, and the BCCI's media advisory confirmed it the same day.
| At a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ruled out | Rishabh Pant; the first two unofficial Tests against New Zealand A |
| Injury | Left side strain, picked up while captaining Rest of India in the Irani Cup |
| Replacement | Kumar Kushagra, 21, wicketkeeper; two hundreds in his last three first-class games |
| Tour dates | 1st four-dayer Oct 24 in Lincoln; 2nd Oct 31 in Christchurch; 3rd Nov 7 in Lincoln |
| Third match | Pant's availability to be assessed later; he could still play |
| Captain | Dhruv Jurel, who will be the first-choice keeper for the first two games |
How Pant picked up the strain
Pant strained his left side while leading Rest of India in the Irani Cup, and still walked out to bat at No. 8 in the second innings while battling sickness. The BCCI advisory, signed by honorary secretary Devajit Saikia, says he remains under the care of the BCCI Medical Team and is recovering well. His original selection for the New Zealand tour had been subject to fitness clearance.
Who is Kumar Kushagra
Kushagra, 21, has been scoring heavily in red-ball cricket, with two centuries in his last three first-class outings, one of them in the Duleep Trophy final and another against the touring Australia A side in Puducherry. With Jurel keeping the gloves as captain, Kushagra gives the side a second wicketkeeping option for the opening two games.
The bigger picture
The A tour is packed with Test regulars and doubles as preparation for the two-Test series that matters for India's World Test Championship hopes. Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal are among the other names in the 15-man squad for the first two matches.
- India A's squad for the first two matches Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Dhruv Jurel (c, wk), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar Kushagra (wk)
Details are from ESPNcricinfo's report by Cricinfo staff, cross-checked against the BCCI media advisory on bcci.tv. Read the full report on Cricinfo. Cricinfo.
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