Rishabh Pant who missed a part of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru due to a knee injury, is all but set to feature for India in the second match at Pune. India’s assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate, speaking to media ahead of the second Test of the series, confirmed that though Pant’s appearance in the match isn’t 100% certain, he is looking on course to make the XI for the match. There were suggestions of Dhruv Jurel replacing Pant behind the stumps for the match. But, it seems like the southpaw is all set to get the nod despite the recent injury.
“Yeah, I think everyone’s really well. There wasn’t too much bowling in that first Test, so the fast bowlers are all good. Rishabh is pretty good. I think Rohit had touched on it the other day. He was having a little bit discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. But fingers crossed he’ll be good to keep in the Test as well,” said Ten Doeschate.
Earlier, India captain Rohit also touched upon the injury that Pant sustained in Bengaluru.
“It’s just to be a little careful about where he is at and what he is to us. Even when he was batting, he was not comfortably running. He was trying to only put the ball in the stands. But, again, with someone like him, we just need to be extra careful because he has had a lot of minor surgeries, one big surgery on his knee. And he went through a lot of trauma, to be honest, in the last one and a half years. So, it’s just about being extra careful,” Rohit said in the post-match press conference after the eight-wicket loss in the first Test.
“So, when you are keeping, you have to bend every ball with your knee going down. And the wicket being what it was, we thought it was the right thing to do for him to stay inside and then get 100% ready for the next one,” he added.
The second Test begins on October 24.
