During the first innings of the Bengaluru Test, India’s wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant missed collecting a ball, which hit him on the knee. This injury prevented him from keeping wickets for the rest of the match.
Before the second Test in Pune, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir provided an update on Rishabh’s availability, as Dhruv Jurel replaced him behind the stumps for the remainder of the Bengaluru Test.
Will Rishabh Pant play the Pune Test?
As the Test series shifts to Pune on October 24, Gautam Gambhir addressed the media during the pre-match press conference, where he was asked about Pant’s fitness and if he would play in the upcoming game.
Speaking about Pant’s injury, Gambhir confirmed: “He’s absolutely fine, he’ll keep wickets tomorrow.”
The concern was particularly significant because, as captain Rohit Sharma had mentioned during the first Test, Pant’s knee injury was to the same knee he had surgery on following his serious car accident.
Despite the knee injury, Pant batted on Day 3 alongside Sarfaraz Khan. After top-scoring with 20 off 49 balls in the first innings, Pant played a brilliant knock of 99 off 105 balls in the second innings, missing a century when an inside edge hit the stumps off Will O’Rourke’s bowling. He shared a crucial 177-run partnership with Sarfaraz in 211 balls.
Though Pant showed no visible discomfort while batting, he didn’t keep wickets during New Zealand’s fourth-innings chase, which raised questions about his availability for the Pune Test.
New Zealand won the first test against India and now they have a chance to become the first team since England to win a Test series on Indian soil.
The last time India lost a home Test series was in 2012 when Alastair Cook’s England defeated them. Since then, India has played 54 Tests at home, winning 42 of them and losing only seven.
