The Indian cricket team will have to wait a bit for the return of their star wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant, which was refused to be out of the game during the England series. The pants are expected to return to the Test side, but not before the South Africa series, according to the latest report of Dickic Aware.
Indian wicket-keeper Better Rishabh Pant has recalled field action since he went out after fracture in his right leg during the fourth Test of the England series. The courageous left-handed batsman missed the opportunity to be a part of India’s spectacular series-tier draw in Ull.
He also missed the Asia Cup 2025 due to fracture and remained under rehabilitation at the BCCI Center of Excellence during the last few weeks. He reported in COE on 15 September.
According to the latest reports, Rishabh Pant’s return is delayed
After reporting to Coe, Rishabh Pant conducted several tests and has been subject to rehabilitation since then. He was seen donating the walking boots, which would lead to the initial treatment of the wicket-keeper batsman.
According to previous reports on 15 September, their shoes were to be removed after a week, which means that the shoes would have been removed by now, and the pants may slowly be trained to put more weight on their feet.
However, citing their position and the speed of recovery, it can be easily predicted that Pant is not going to return soon. As a result, they may be expected to remember the upcoming program against the West Indies, which begins on 2 October.
Pants are likely to remember ODI returns against Australians; There is a possibility of returning to tests against proteases
India has a packed schedule this year, in which the West Indies Tour Asia Cup begins exactly 4 days after the end of 2025. After the West Indies Home Tour, India will travel to Australia for the three-match ODI ODI and the five-match T20I series, which is scheduled to begin on October 19.
Rishabh Pant may not be available even in that white ball tour. According to Abhishek Tripathi’s reports on Dynic Jagran, the pants will be most likely in action from the South Africa series.
The series is one of the largest domestic chains for India in 2025–26, as it includes two tests, three Odis and five T20Is, which are scheduled to begin on 14 November. It is estimated by COE Medical Staff that a minimum of three to four weeks will be required for pants to return to competitive cricket.
Dhruv Jurlel can be planted as India’s first choice keeper in the West Indies Test
While the pants are the most likely to be most unavailable for the West Indies Test series, this may be an opportunity for players like Dhruv Jurlel, Sarfaraz Khan and Narayan Jagdisin. Although Sarfaraz is not a protector, he can be slot as an important middle-order batsman.
However, Dhruv Jurlel seems to be the most ideal option of all three to be included in the Indian lineup. He served as an alternative to pants throughout the England series, scoring a great score in a multi-day game A vs Australia in India and has the ability to switch to an aggressive brand of test cricket like Rishabh Pants.
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