Rishabh Pant declared fit for Test series against New Zealand

A two-match Test series between India and New Zealand will follow the One-day series, starting on November 19. The series is considered very important for India in terms of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). Good news has come for the team ahead of it.

Star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been declared fit for the Test series. Pant had been undergoing rehab at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru. He is now fully fit to play in the Test series against New Zealand and will soon join the Indian Test squad.

Pant took part in a one-match practice session at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, and has received a fitness certificate from the medical team. He was injured during the Irani Cup in the first week of October, which kept him away from the cricket field for a long time. He is now completely fit and ready to return. Pant has reached Wellington to join the team.

The rest of the squad has already reached New Zealand and is preparing for the two-Test series. The first Test begins in Wellington on November 19. Pant will have a week before it to regain his rhythm.

Pant's Test record in New Zealand has not been notable. He has played only two Tests there and scored 60 runs in all. His performances on other overseas tours, such as Australia and England, have however been outstanding. In Australia, Pant has scored 879 runs with one century. In England, he has scored 1,035 runs with four centuries. In South Africa, he has scored 186 runs and also hit a century.

India's squad for the Test series against New Zealand is: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj.