A major change has been made to the India-A squad ahead of the three unofficial Test matches against New Zealand-A. Star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the first two matches due to an injury. The BCCI has named 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra as his replacement. For now, Kushagra has been selected only for the first two matches. A decision on whether Pant will play in the third match will be made later.
Recently, Rishabh Pant captained the Rest of India team in the Irani Cup. During the tournament, he sustained a strain in the muscles on the left side of his body, the BCCI stated. Pant is currently recovering under the supervision of the BCCI medical team. The board has confirmed that he will be unavailable for the first two matches against New Zealand-A. His fitness will be assessed before a decision is made regarding his participation in the third match.
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When the India-A squad was initially announced, the BCCI had stated that Pant's selection would depend on his fitness. However, as he has not yet regained full fitness, he has had to withdraw from the first two matches. Although the Rest of India team defeated Jammu and Kashmir to win the Irani Cup title, Pant had a disappointing outing with the bat, scoring just 10 and 8 runs in his two innings, respectively.
The BCCI has given 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra an opportunity to replace Pant. He will be part of the squad for the first and second unofficial Tests. However, India-A captain Dhruv Jurel is likely to serve as the team's primary wicketkeeper.
The three four-day matches between India-A and New Zealand-A will be played at different venues. The first match will take place in Lincoln from October 24 to 28. The second match is scheduled for October 31 to November 3 in Christchurch. The third match will be held in Lincoln again, from November 7 to 10.
Dhruv Jurel will captain India-A in the series. The squad includes several players with Test experience, including KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal and Washington Sundar.
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However, it remains unclear whether players such as KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Washington Sundar will feature in all three matches. These players are also part of India's senior squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. With the ODI matches scheduled for November 4, 7 and 10, they may not be able to participate in all three India-A matches.
Updated India-A Squad
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal,Ravichandran Smaran, Dhruv Jurel (Captain and Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Aquib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar Kushagra (Wicketkeeper)
