Ajit Agarkar gives up on Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma-Gautam Gambhir to decide future

India's wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant suffered a knee injury while wicketkeeping during the first Test between India and New Zealand at Bengaluru. He left the field straight away but came out to bat later in India's second Innings.

However, Pant did not keep wickets in New Zealand's second innings and there are speculations that he can miss the next Test at Pune. Dhruv Jurel kept wickets in Pant's absence. The decision to play Pant in the next Test now rests on India's captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Also read: KL Rahul's spot for Pune Test sealed over Sarfaraz Khan

Is Rishabh Pant fit to play the 2nd Test vs New Zealand?

According to the Indian Express, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has left the decision to play Rishabh Pant in the next Test to Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma. Gambhir and Rohit are likely to consult the medical team before taking any final decision.

Rishabh Pant is one of India's most crucial players in the Test team. He has been one of the best batters in the team over the years. Since coming back into Test cricket after the life-threatening accident, he has amassed loads of runs in red-ball cricket.

Pant smashed a hundred in his first match on return against Bangladesh. Recently, he scored a magnificent 99 off 105 balls in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand despite not being fully fit.

He was involved in a brilliant partnership of 177 runs with Sarfaraz Khan and almost took India to a sizeable lead in the second innings. Unfortunately, he was dismissed just one run short of a well-deserved century.

Rohit Sharma reveals why Rishabh Pant did not keep wickets during 2nd innings

Meanwhile, India's captain Rohit Sharma spoke about being "extra careful" with Rishabh Pant after the match. He revealed the reason why Pant did not keep wickets during New Zealand's second innings despite coming out to bat.

“He’s had a lot of minor surgeries and one big surgery on his knee and went through a lot of trauma, to be honest, in the last one and a half years. So it’s just about being extra careful, not just careful with him,” Rohit said to the reporters.

“When you’re keeping, you have to bend every ball with your knee going down and the wicket being what it was, we thought it is the right thing to do for him to stay inside and then get 100 percent ready for the next one,” he added.

Dhruv Jurel's numbers in Test cricket

If Rishabh Pant does not play in the next Test, Dhruv Jurel is likely to take his place. Jurel made his Test debut during the series against England earlier this year. He had a fantastic start to his Test career.

The 23-year-old was even adjudged the Player of the Series award in just his second Test at Ranchi. In 3 Tests, he has scored 190 runs at an average of 63.33. Jurel was also impressive with his glovework and showed glimpses of his talent.