Injury blow for India as Rishabh Pant ruled out of New Zealand tour with A team
Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the first two matches of India A’s multi-day tour of New Zealand after suffering a strain in his left side while leading the rest of India in the Irani Cup in September.
The BCCI confirmed on Monday that batsman Kumar Kushagra has been named as Pant’s replacement for both matches. Pant, who was initially selected on condition of fitness, remains under the care of the BCCI medical team, with a decision on his availability for the third match to be taken later.
“He 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 later,” the BCCI said.
The development raises questions about Pant’s availability for the Indian senior team’s upcoming Test series in New Zealand, which is scheduled to begin on November 19. The two-Test series will end on December 1. However, BCCI is yet to announce India’s Test squad and there is no confirmation that Pant will miss the series.
India A is scheduled to play three multi-day matches against New Zealand A from October 24 to November 10. The first match will be played in Lincoln, the second in Christchurch and the third in Lincoln.
Pant’s injury is a setback ahead of the tour, with the three matches offering the players a chance to build up their red-ball training in New Zealand conditions ahead of the Test series.
WHO IS KUSHAGRA?
Kumar Kushagra is a 21-year-old wicketkeeper and batsman from Jharkhand who is making waves in domestic cricket. The Gujarat Titans batsman scored a century in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone in Chennai, playing a key role in the East Zone’s historic triumph.
He followed that up with a century and an unbeaten 46 for India A against Australia A in a four-day match at Puducherry in September.
Dhruv Jurel will continue to lead the India A team, with Kushagra providing capable backup behind the stumps.
INDIA ‘A’ SQUAD UPDATED
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Dhruv Jurel (C) (WK), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod and Mukesh Kumard (matches) (matches).
SCHEDULE
- 1st multi-day match: 24-27 October 2026 | Lincoln
- 2nd Multi-Day Match: 31 October – 3 November 2026 | Christchurch
- 3rd multi-day match: 7-10 November 2026 | Lincoln
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