Rishabh Pant‘s comeback to competitive cricket will begin in the first India A vs South Africa A four-day match at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on October 30. Pant, who has been out of action with a fractured foot since the Manchester Test against England in July, has been named captain of the India A side for the two games, with B Sai Sudharsan his deputy.
It was earlier understood that Pant would return to action in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy second-round match, from October 25, at home against Himachal Pradesh. That could change now, with the first India A vs South Africa A game set to start just two days after the scheduled last day of the Ranji Trophy game.
Pant, who had fractured his right foot in the Old Trafford Test in late July, was in his final stretch of rehab as of early October, and was due to undergo a fitness assessment at the Centre of Excellence. His foot was taken out of the cast more than a month ago, and he had been working on strengthening the foot through mobility exercises and weight training drills.
The squads for both the matches, especially the second, appear very strong, with a smattering of internationals and players on the fringes of international cricket.
The 13-man squad for the first game includes, apart from Pant and Sai Sudharsan, N Jagadeesan, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Anshul Kamboj and Tanush Kotian.
Jagadeesan, Ayush Mhatre, Patidar, Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni and Saransh Jain go out of the squad for the second game, and in come KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep.
It’s possible that the third round of the Ranji Trophy, from November 1, is part of the reason for some of the selections and releases, but some of the Test regulars – Rahul, Jurel and Siraj, for example – might also be getting game time keeping in mind the World Test Championship series against South Africa starting November 14 in Kolkata (with the second Test in Guwahati from November 22).
Pant, if he can prove his fitness, which is the primary concern, and form, with fears of rust after what has been a long layoff, could be in the running to be the primary wicketkeeper-batter for India for the South Africa Tests. Jurel has been India’s No. 1 Test wicketkeeper in Pant’s absence, keeping in both the Tests against West Indies recently.
India squad for first four-day match
Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Ayush Mhatre, N Jagadeesan (wk), Sai Sudharsan (vice-capt), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Saransh Jain.
India squad for second four-day match
Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sai Sudharsan (vice-capt), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.