New Delhi, Oct 26 — Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is likely on track to recover from his side strain in time for India A’s third red-ball game against New Zealand A in Lincoln from November 7 to 10, 2026.
Pant has been out of action since suffering a left-side strain while leading the Rest of India to victory over Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar earlier this month. The injury kept him out of Delhi’s Ranji Trophy commitments and the first two four-day games against New Zealand A.
It is understood that Pant has been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for rehab and starting light skill-based work.
“He is on the road to recovery and is likely to be available for the third India ‘A’ game, provided that he gets his fitness certificate. If everything goes as planned, then he may leave for New Zealand in the first few days of November,” said a source to IANS on Monday.
In Pant’s absence, the selectors had picked Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra as his replacement for the first two four-day games. Kushagra has been recently called up as a cover when his Jharkhand captain, Ishan Kishan, was selected for the T20I series in New Zealand, after the latter sustained a low-grade right adductor strain.
It is understood that ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is also likely to feature in the India A's third red-ball game, to be played at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. Bumrah last played at the Asian Games in Japan in early October, where India retained its gold medal.
He was then rested for the home white-ball series against the West Indies and the T20I and ODI legs of the ongoing New Zealand tour. It is also understood that fast bowler Prasidh Krishna is on track to play in New Zealand after being out of action since the ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati, where he sustained a hamstring injury.
Pant, Bumrah and Prasidh (who’s also a part of the first three ODIs) are part of India’s squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand, to be played at Basin Reserve, Wellington from November 19 to 23 and in Hagley Oval, Christchurch from November 27 to December 1.