Pant's side strain puts his NZ Test place in doubt as fitness clock ticks

Rishabh Pant's name is in India's Test squad for the New Zealand tour, but it carries a fitness asterisk. A side strain has already cost him the first two India A fixtures there, so his place for the Wellington Test is not settled.

The injury happened during the Irani Cup, where Pant was captaining Rest of India. He hurt his side while playing a sweep in the first innings. He was also dealing with flu, and he stayed off the field as wicketkeeper when Jammu and Kashmir chased in the second innings. He still came out to bat at No. 8 later in the match.

The BCCI has since said he is recovering from a left-side strain under its medical team's watch. It has ruled him out of the first two unofficial Tests against New Zealand A, which start in Lincoln on October 24. Jharkhand's 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra has been called up in his place. A decision on Pant for the third and final unofficial Test, scheduled for November 7, will be taken later.

That third game could become a useful checkpoint. If Pant plays it, he will get some red-ball time with bat and gloves before the Test series. If he doesn't, India will have to pick him for Wellington with little or no match practice since the Irani Cup.

The Test squad was announced a few days ago under captain Shubman Gill, with KL Rahul as vice-captain. It lists Pant with a note that he is subject to fitness clearance. It also includes Dhruv Jurel as a second wicketkeeper, which gives the selectors a ready replacement.

The schedule leaves a gap but not a large one. The first Test starts at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on November 19. The second follows at Hagley Oval in Christchurch from November 27 to December 1. Both are part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, so each result counts in the standings. Because it is only two matches, one defeat would put a lot of pressure on India in the second game.

Pant's recent injury history adds to the worry. In January this year he was ruled out of the ODI series against New Zealand after a side strain, an oblique muscle tear picked up in the nets in Vadodara. Jurel replaced him then too. Another side problem in the same part of the body will make the medical staff cautious about rushing him back, especially in a wicketkeeping role that involves constant bending, diving and rotation.

For India, the Pant question is as much about balance as about one player. He is the first-choice red-ball keeper and a left-hander who can change a session quickly, and the middle order looks different without him. Jurel has done the job before and would keep if Pant is unavailable. The team would then be missing Pant's attacking batting at No. 5 or 6, which matters in conditions where seamers can dominate for long stretches.

New Zealand's pitches and the early-season conditions will test any batter who is short of game time. The management will want to avoid a situation where Pant is passed fit but isn't ready, and then breaks down again during a Test.

India have time on their side, but not much of it. The key milestones are the BCCI's call on the November 7 India A match, how Pant progresses in rehab and nets over the next few weeks, and whether he can take part in full wicketkeeping drills. If he clears all three, he can expect to be in the XI at Wellington. If not, Jurel will keep wicket in a World Test Championship series that India cannot afford to lose ground in.