Rishabh Pant is on course to reclaim the Test gloves when India host South Africa for two matches later this month, with selectors understood to have rubber-stamped his return during Wednesday’s meeting in Mumbai. The 26-year-old replaces N Jagadeesan and is expected to be the only change to the squad that toured the West Indies in July.
Pant has been out since fracturing a foot during the Manchester Test against England, but eased concerns last week by captaining India A to a four-wicket win over South Africa A in Bengaluru. His second-innings 90, stitched together in just over two hours, anchored a 275-run chase and, more importantly, proved his fitness over four days. “I’m just happy to be playing cricket again,” he told BCCI.tv afterwards, sounding relieved rather than triumphant.
India’s Test captain Shubman Gill, along with Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, are still in Australia for the ongoing T20I series and will link up with the red-ball group once that wraps up on 8 November. Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has already been released from T20 duty to turn out for India A in the second unofficial Test that starts today, a decision aimed at giving him an extended spell with the Dukes ball before the South Africa series.
The two Tests are scheduled for 14-18 November in Kolkata and 22-26 November in Guwahati, the latter city set to host its first Test match. World Test Championship points are in play: India sit third on 61.90 per cent, South Africa fifth on 50. With only a pair of fixtures, margins are thin.
Former selector Sarandeep Singh noted, “You don’t pick Pant unless he’s 100 per cent. That 90 for India A told us all we needed to know.” Team management, however, remain cautious; a final fitness check is planned once Pant joins the main squad in Kolkata.
More details, including the full squad list, are expected once the BCCI releases the official communiqué later this week.
