Rishabh Pant misses start of New Zealand A tour with injury

Rishabh Pant will miss the first two matches of the India A tour of New Zealand after picking up a left-side strain. The Board of Control for Cricket in India stated that Kumar Kushagra will take his place in the squad for those games. Officials will decide later if Pant can play in the third match of the series. Pant picked up the injury while captaining the Rest of India team in the Irani Cup. He is now recovering under the care of the medical team. This setback follows his recent omission from the Indian ODI squad for the series against the West Indies. He has been out of the 50-over team for nearly two years, playing his last ODI against Sri Lanka in August 2024. Dhruv Jurel will captain the India A side and handle wicketkeeping duties. The squad also features established players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Washington Sundar.

Context

Injuries often force teams to make last-minute changes to their playing squads during busy international cricket calendars. Replacement players get a chance to prove their talent when senior team members face fitness issues or form struggles.