Rishabh Pant ruled out of India A series with injury, Kumar Kushagra named replacement

The BCCI has had to make a major change to the India A squad just ahead of the three unofficial Tests between India A and New Zealand A. India A wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is out of the team with an injury. He is reported to be unavailable for the first two matches.

According to the information released by the BCCI on Monday, 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra has been included in the team in place of Pant. For now, Kushagra has been selected only for the first two matches of the series. Whether Pant will play the third match will be decided after his fitness is assessed.

Pant was injured during the Irani Cup match that concluded recently. He has not yet fully recovered from the injury. The medical team has advised him to rest. The absence of an experienced player like Pant is being seen as a definite setback for the team. For Kumar Kushagra, on the other hand, the series offers a chance to show his ability.

In Pant's absence, Dhruv Jurel will captain India A. Notably, Jurel will also keep wicket for the team, so he will carry the responsibilities of both captaincy and wicketkeeping.

The India A squad announced for the tour includes several prominent players from the Indian senior team. A total of 10 Test players, including senior team vice-captain KL Rahul, aggressive opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and middle-order batter Devdutt Padikkal, are part of the squad. This has certainly strengthened India A.

Meanwhile, Pant recently spoke on a podcast about being dropped from the ODI and T20 sides. Expressing regret at not getting a place in the team, he said that as a player it is important to bounce back strongly after every failure.