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India’s attacking wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the first two unofficial Tests between India A and New Zealand A. Pant The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on October 12 provided a medical update on Pant. The wicketkeeper-batter had sustained a left side strain during the Irani Cup where he led Rest of India to a win over Jammu & Kashmir. The selection committee led by interim head Pragyan Ojha has named his replacement.
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Jharkhand's wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra, who plays for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has been roped in as replacement for the first two games of the series. Kushagra is one of the three wicketkeepers in the squad if you keep opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s new-found love for wicketkeeping gloves aside. Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel will lead the Indain side. KL Rahul is part of the squad as well.
India A's updated squad for first two games vs New Zealand A -
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, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar Kushagra (wk).
Will Pant be available for Test series against New Zealand?
Pant has had injury and inflammation around the lower left rib but there is no clear fracture. However, there is swelling in the surrounding soft tissues without any significant muscle damage.
Pant may find himself in doubt for the two-Test series against Tom Latham-led New Zealand next month. He may be seen in action towards the end of October considering he gets medical clearance.
Who is Kumar Kushagra?
Kushagra is a 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter who is a vital cog in the wheel for Ishan Kishan-led Jharkhand's recent wins. Recently in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final, he scored 101 for East Zone against Devdutt Padikkal's South Zone. He followed it up with a century for India against Australia A in the first of two unofficial Tests. He scored 170 runs from four innings against Australia A. He also played one of the One-Day games against Australia A where he couldn’t contribute much with the bat. He had been a part of India A squad for the One-Day tri-series in Sri Lanka as well.
Kushagra has played 38 first-class games so far. From 61 innings, he has amassed 2,507 runs at an average of 42.49. He has seven centuries and six half-centuries in the format.
Earlier, Kushagra had been roped in by Delhi Capitals (DC) for a whopping Rs 7.2 crore in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 when Pant was captain. But, he was released after one season as he scored just three runs from three innings. He was roped in by Shubman Gill's Gujarat Titans (GT) for Rs 65 lakh in the IPL 2025 auction. He did not get a game in IPL 2025. In this year's edition, he made his GT debut, scoring 18 runs from 14 balls against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
What if Pant is ruled out of Test series?
Pant may be named in the squad subject to fitness. If he recovers, he may be asked to play one of the Ranji Trophy games or third and final unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A which will be played at Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Licoln, starting November 7. The Test series begins on November 19 at Basin Reserve, Wellington.
If Pant is ruled out of the Test series, it will be a big blow for Team India. Pant is known for scoring quick runs which will come in handy in seam-friendly conditions. If he misses, then Dhruv Jurel is set to keep wickets which will give the team management a chance to play an extra all-rounder or a batter. It can open the doors for an in-form Ishan Kishan who had scored 270 against Jammu & Kashmir in Irani Cup 2026. The picture will be more clear as India’s squad for the two-Test series is announced later this month.
Pant's Test record vs New Zealand -
Pant had played two Tests on New Zealand soil in 2020. He managed to score 60 runs from four innings with a high score of 25. The 29-year-old does have experience against the Kiwi attack.
From six Tests against the BlackCaps, he has 366 runs at an average of 30.50 and strike rate nearly 70. He has three half-centuries against the Kiwis including a 99-run knock.
Another injury scare for India
Meanwhile, top-order batter Sai Sudharsan was seeing hobbling off the field on Day 2 of Tamil Nadu's Ranji Trophy fixture against Rajasthan. He attempted to stop a shot from Karan Lamba at covers. As he experienced discomfort, he was helped off the ground by support staff.
Sudharsan turned up to bat and was dismissed for a single-digit score by Chetan Sharma.
Earlier, Sudharsan had been ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka where Sarfaraz Khan was named his replacement. It led to Devdutt Padikkal making a name for himself and almost cementing the no.3 spot with two centuries.
Sudharsan is also part of the squad picked for India A’s tour of New Zealand. The southpaw may have had just an injury scare. On Day 3 when Rajasthan bat, it will be clear whether Sudharsan is fit to field or the extent of injury is threatening.
Before Ranji Trophy, Sudharsan had registered scores of 57, 39, 8 and 12 against Australia A in the unofficial two-Test series. Then, he managed to score just 1 and 13 against Australia A in the One-Day series. The last ton he scored was against Sri Lanka A but an injury turned out to be a setback.
Meanwhile, pacer Prasidh Krishna continues to be out of action after he got injured during the ODI series against West Indies. There is a question mark on Krishna's participation in the Test series as well. During the three-game series against New Zealand A, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj and Mukesh Kumar would look to make a case for themselves alongside pace bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Gurnoor Brar.
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