India‘s head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that Rishabh Pant will be available as a wicketkeeper-batter for the second Test against New Zealand. Pant had injured his knee while keeping wickets and only batted in the latter part of the opening match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
He was hit on the same knee that had previously undergone surgery after his accident. A delivery from Ravindra Jadeja bypassed the bat and body, striking Pant directly on the unprotected area of his knee.
Pant fell to the ground and was seen wincing and limping as medical staff treated him. He eventually left the field, with Dhruv Jurel taking over wicketkeeping duties. Pant batted in the second innings, scoring an impressive 99 before edging a delivery from William O’Rourke onto the stumps.
“He is absolutely fine, he’ll keep wickets tomorrow,” Gautam Gambhir said of Pant during the pre-match press conference in Pune.
Returning to red-ball cricket after a long break, Pant picked up right where he left off. He scored a century in his comeback Test against Bangladesh and followed it with a solid fifty against New Zealand, showing good form ahead of the important Border-Gavaskar series.
“We have 10-12 days, which is sufficient rest”- Gautam Gambhir comments on workload management
India’s red-ball season consists of 10 Tests, and they are currently in the middle of it. After completing the ongoing three-match series against New Zealand on November 5, India will tour Australia for a five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The away series is set to start on November 22, with the squad expected to depart India in the second week of the following month. Prior to the series, India will also play an intra-squad warm-up match against India A.
“Once this series is over, we have 10-12 days and that’s good enough rest. Of course we will evaluate after this game. Keeping the pacers fresh is important,” Gambhir added in the press conference.
The second Test between India and New Zealand is set to start at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday, October 24.
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