Pants Fate Ahead of New Zealand Series Rests in BCCI Medical TeamHands

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who has been named in the squad for the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand, will have to undergo another fitness assessment before receiving the final green signal. Ahead of the first Test, scheduled to begin in Wellington on November 19, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team will assess the overall condition of his injury before granting him clearance to travel.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Pant, who suffered a side strain (rib injury) while playing in the Irani Cup in early October, has already undergone an initial physical assessment at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. However, the medical team has decided to monitor him for a few more days before granting final clearance to return to competitive cricket. Pant has been at the CoE since October 23 and will travel to New Zealand if he is declared fully fit. If everything goes according to plan, he could feature in the third four-day warm-up match between New Zealand A and India A, scheduled to begin in Lincoln on November 7.

The selectors had included Pant in both the main squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand and the India A squad, subject to his fitness clearance. However, due to the injury, he was ruled out of the first two four-day matches against New Zealand A on October 12.

Young wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra was named as Pant’s replacement for the first two matches but did not get an opportunity in the playing XI. India A captain Dhruv Jurel has been handling wicketkeeping duties for the side. Jurel is also part of India’s main Test squad.