Star Indian player Rishabh Pant likely to recover in time for the upcoming first Test against New ZealandScroll down to read the full story.
Published: November 7, 2026, 11:35 PM IST
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Rishabh Pant likely to play 1st Test against NZ (Image – BCCI)
Rishabh Pant is likely to travel to New Zealand next week and may play in the first Test match in Wellington on November 19, according to a TOI reportPant was training at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence as he worked to recover from a side injury.
On Thursday, Pant shared a video of his practice sessionIn the video, he can be seen batting in the nets and hitting the ball without any troubleHe looked comfortable while batting, which is a good sign ahead of the New Zealand tour.“Pant is set to fly out to New Zealand next weekHe will be available for the first Test.”
Rishabh Pant is likely to miss the third match between India ‘A’ and New Zealand ‘A’ in Lincoln, which starts on SaturdayReports on Thursday said that Pant is still recovering from a side injury and needs more time before he can return to the field.
Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to play in this matchBoth players will get a chance to practise before the Test seriesT20I vice-captain Tilak Varma has also joined the India ‘A’ team as a replacement for Pant.
Prasidh Krishna is also likely to play the matchThe fast bowler has spent the last three weeks recovering from a hamstring injuryHe has now been allowed to play in all formats of cricket.
However, the team did not want to bring him back into the ODI team too soonThey want him to be fully fit for the Test matchesPrasidh was replaced by fast bowler Auqib Nabi in the ODI teamNabi was later removed from the team for the second India ‘A’ match.
The first two matches between India ‘A’ and New Zealand ‘A’ ended in drawsDevdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel have scored the most runs for India in the seriesYashasvi Jaiswal also played a big innings in the last match at Hagley OvalHe scored 155 runs and remained not out, showing that he is back in good form.
Nitish Reddy, who is no longer part of the ODI team, is also likely to play the third matchThis will give him a chance to practise with the red ball before the Test series.
Meanwhile, New Zealand ‘A’ will not have fast bowlers Simon Keene and Fraser Sheat for the upcoming match.
