India’s star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has once again been injured and that too just ahead of the much-awaited two-match Test series against South Africa later this month. Rishabh Pant has recently returned to competitive cricket after a long recovery from a leg injury.
A foot injury ruled him out of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, and then recovery ruled him out of the Asia Cup 2025 and the ongoing white-ball tour of Australia. Now, the explosive left-handed batsman is preparing for the domestic season.
Rishabh Pant gets injured before South Africa Test series
Pant is currently leading India A in the unofficial Test series against South Africa A in Rajkot. Everyone got scared after the Indian wicketkeeper got a blow during the second unofficial test. In fact, India’s preparations for the upcoming Test series against South Africa suffered a major setback on the first day of the second unofficial Test against South Africa A in Bengaluru.
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The India A captain, who was trying to get his form back, suffered a serious injury to his fingers while batting. After receiving on-field treatment, Pant fell while attempting to go to mid-off on the very next ball, raising concerns over his fitness just weeks before the upcoming Test series in South Africa.
Rishabh Pant suffered a serious injury to his fingers on the first day of the second unofficial Test against South Africa A!
He was treated… and fell trying to go over mid-off on the very next ball!
India A: 86/5 after 26 overs! #INDvsSA #RishabhPant #Examination #Cricket : JioStar pic.twitter.com/GleXAvPsQx
– OneCricket (@OneCricketApp) 6 November 2025
India’s top order faltered due to the struggles of KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Sai Sudarshan.
The rest of India A’s batting lineup also struggled. The top five collapsed for just 86 runs, highlighting both poor form and a lack of pace. KL Rahul, showing glimpses of fluency, was out for 19, while Abhimanyu Easwaran failed to make a mark and was out for a duck.
Sai Sudarshan faced only 17 runs in 52 balls and Devdutt Padikkal could score only 5 runs. Pant tried to counter-attack and hit three fours and a six, but his innings ended prematurely due to injury in the 26th over. This performance rings alarm bells for India before the South Africa tour.
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Dhruv Jurel shines again, stakes claim for a place in India’s middle order
Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel is emerging as one of India’s most promising young batsmen, staking a strong case for a permanent role in the senior Test team. His recent performances have been nothing short of sensational, with scores of 124, 44 and 6 not out demonstrating his consistency.
With Rishabh Pant’s return to the Test team, Jurel now sees himself as a specialist batsman rather than just a backup keeper. The competition for a spot in the middle order is intensifying, with Jurel likely to compete with Nitish Kumar Reddy if India decide to add a dedicated batsman at No. 6 instead of an all-rounder.
On Thursday, Jurel once again proved his ability. He played a brilliant innings and brought up his fourth first-class century, three of which have come since June. Just a few months ago, he had scored a brilliant century against Australia A in Lucknow. India A were eventually bowled out for 255, with Prasidh Krishna last out, giving a return catch to left-arm fast bowler Tian Van Vuuren, who took four wickets.
