Rishabh Pant Expected to Return Bangladesh series

India will play two Tests against Bangladesh on home soil this month. The BCCI will announce India's Test squad following the first round of the ongoing Duleep Trophy. Rishabh Pant, who made his return to international cricket through the World Cup after a severe road accident, is expected to make his Test return in the Bangladesh series. Pant's last Test match was also against Bangladesh, in December 2022.

Pant was seriously injured in a car accident in December 2022. He made a comeback with the IPL in 2024 and then returned to international cricket with a T20 World Cup win. Leaving behind the traumatic memories of the accident, Pant has proven himself remarkably. He has performed well in domestic cricket with the bat to prepare for a return to red-ball cricket. After 21 months, he scored a half-century in the Duleep Trophy.

Despite a failure in the first innings of the Duleep Trophy, Pant scored 61 runs off 47 balls in the second innings while playing for the Indian 'B' team. He is looking to secure his place in the Test squad for the Bangladesh series and has returned to form. In his 33-Test career, Pant's last match was also against Bangladesh, in December 2022, at Mirpur. During that series, he scored the highest 93 runs in the first innings for his team but could not add more than 9 runs in the second innings.

India will start their first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai on September 19. Rishabh Pant might return to the squad, potentially replacing KL Rahul. After an outstanding performance in the recent Test series against England at home, Dhruv Jurel could be included as a backup for Pant.

Before the first Test, India's red-ball players will begin their practice at Chepauk on September 12. Similarly, Najmul Hossain Shanto's team is scheduled to start their practice at the same venue from September 15.