Revealed- Why Rishabh Pant is not keeping the wickets and who will replace him in India's batting?

India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant suffered an unfortunate injury on Day 2 of the first Test between India and New Zealand at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The injury happened during the 37th over of New Zealand's first innings.

Pant missed a straight-forward stumping chance against Devon Conway off the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and was hit right on the knee as he failed to collect the ball cleanly.

Pant yelled in pain and was attended by the physio for a few minutes. However, he was taken off the field after some time and was replaced by India's reserve wicketkeeper in the squad, Dhruv Jurel. Jurel kept wickets for the rest of the day as well.

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Rohit Sharma speaks on Rishabh Pant's absence

After the end of the day, Rohit Sharma was asked about Rishabh Pant's injury status. The India captain revealed that Pant was hit on the same leg where he had his surgery and thus, it got swelled.

"Unfortunately, the ball hit straight on his knee cap, the same leg on which he has got surgery done. So he has got a bit of swelling on it," Rohit stated.

Rohit Sharma further said that India did not want to risk his injury given some important matches ahead. It is the reason why he was taken out of the field. Wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel took the gloves in Pant's absence for the rest of the day.

"And you know the muscles are quite tender at this point in time, so it's a precautionary measure. We don't want to take a risk. Rishabh doesn't want to take a risk because he has gone through a massive surgery on that particular leg. That was the reason for him to go inside. Hopefully, at night he can recover and we will see him back on the field tomorrow," Rohit added.

BCCI gives update on Rishabh Pant's injury

Rishabh Pant was expected to recover on time for the third day. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed in the morning that Pant will not be available to keep wickets on Day 3. The BCCI further mentioned through X (formerly Twitter) that the medical team is monitoring his progress.

UPDATE: Mr Rishabh Pant will not keep wickets on Day 3.

The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress.

Follow the match - https://t.co/FS97Llv5uq#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 18, 2024

Who will replace Rishabh Pant in batting?

Rishabh Pant is not available for wicketkeeping and Dhruv Jurel is his keeping substitute. However, Jurel won't be able to replace Pant in batting. The rules suggest that a player in the Playing XI can only be replaced if he has suffered a concussion or has contracted Covid-19.

Since Pant has not suffered any such things, he cannot be replaced by any batter in the batting line-up. This means India will have to bat with ten players only on Day 3.

India's upcoming Test schedule

Rishabh Pant is a key player for India and is among the most important players in the Test format. His fitness and availability are the topmost priority of the Indian team management which is why they don't want to risk him.

The upcoming Tests will be important for India for the chances of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final. After the ongoing Test, India will play the second and third Test against New Zealand before traveling to Australia for a five-match Test series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Pant is in terrific form recently as he smashed 161 runs in two Tests at an average of 53.66. He also struck a swashbuckling hundred in the first Test match that helped India win the game.