In a big setback for Team India, their star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the ODI series against New Zealand. Sports Tak has learnt that Pant felt a sudden onset discomfort in his right lateral abdominal area while batting in the nets on January 10.
Rishabh Pant ruled out of ODIs vs New Zealand
During a high-intensity net session, Pant suffered a painful blow while facing India's throwdown specialists. A delivery struck the star wicketkeeper just above the waist, leaving him in visible distress. The impact was significant enough to draw the immediate attention of the entire support staff, including head coach Gautam Gambhir, who rushed in to check on the left-hander's condition.
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Rishabh Pant picks up injury during India's nets session
Following on-field medical attention to manage the discomfort, Pant was unable to continue the session with his usual fluidity. As the practice wrap-up concluded, he was observed walking off the ground to receive further assessment. While the extent of the injury remains unclear, the presence of the head coach during the incident underscores the team's concern for their primary wicketkeeper's fitness ahead of upcoming fixtures.
"Since his clinical signs and symptoms were not promising, MRI scan was done. We had a detailed online consultation with Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala on his clinical and radiological findings. Rishabh has been diagnosed with a right sided strain with internal oblique muscle tear," a top source privy to the development told Sports Tak.
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Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant recently shifted their focus back to the national setup following a productive stint in domestic cricket. The trio had been actively representing their respective state teams in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with their final appearances in the tournament taking place as recently as January 8.
The upcoming three-match ODI series against a new-look New Zealand side is set to kick off at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium, a significant occasion as the venue hosts its inaugural men’s international fixture. The action will then move to Rajkot for the second ODI at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on January 14, before concluding with the third and final match at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
India's ODI squad for New Zealand series
Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi