Rishabh Pant's Injury Woes Continue, Kumar Kushagra Named Replacement For India A Tour

Rishabh Pant's injury concerns continue as the wicket-keeper batsman has been ruled out of the first two matches of the India A tour of New Zealand after sustaining a left-side strain during the Irani Cup.

The BCCI has named Kumar Kushagra as Pant's replacement for the opening two matches, while a decision on Pant's availability for the third match will be taken at a later stage.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the change in a media advisory on Monday.

Pant has been ruled out of the first two matches of the tour after suffering a left-side strain while leading the Rest of India team in the Irani Cup. His availability for the India A tour was subject to fitness, but he will now miss the opening two matches as he continues his recovery.

Recovering Well

According to the BCCI, Pant remains under the care of the board's medical team and is recovering well. A decision on whether he will be available for the third match will be taken at a later stage.

The Men's Selection Committee has selected wicke-keeper batsman Kumar Kushagra to replace Pant for the first two matches. Kushagra will join an India A squad that includes senior players such as KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, along with young talents preparing for the New Zealand tour.

Dhruv Jurel has been named captain of the India A squad and will also take up wicket-keeping duties. With Kushagra included as an additional wicket-keeper, India A will have another option behind the stumps for the opening two matches.

India A Updated Squad For New Zealand Tour

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Dhruv Jurel (Captain and Wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar and Kumar Kushagra (Wicket-keeper, first and second matches).