Rishabh Pant ruled out of first two India A matches against New Zealand A
Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of India A's first two unofficial Tests in New Zealand, with Kumar Kushagra named as his replacement.
Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of India A's first two unofficial Tests against New Zealand A after sustaining a left-side strain during the Irani Cup. The BCCI announced on Monday that Kumar Kushagra will replace Pant for the opening two matches. Pant remains under the care of the BCCI Medical Team and is recovering well.
A decision on his availability for the third match will be taken at a later stage. Dhruv Jurel will captain the side in Pant's absence. Kushagra recently scored centuries in the Duleep Trophy final and for India A against Australia A in Puducherry.
The first unofficial Test begins on October 24 in Lincoln. The second match is scheduled for Christchurch from October 31 to November 3, with the third returning to Lincoln from November 7 to 10. KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Washington Sundar are unlikely to feature in the second and third matches due to a scheduling clash with India's ODI series against New Zealand.
CricHubb Take
Pant’s injury removes the player who was expected to lead India A and gain valuable red-ball practice ahead of the senior team's two-Test series against New Zealand. Kushagra's inclusion gives the selectors a chance to assess the Jharkhand keeper-batter in overseas conditions before committing to him for future tours.