Rishabh Pant will sit out India’s three-match ODI series against New Zealand after sustaining a side strain during Saturday’s nets in Vadodara. The wicketkeeper-batter, fresh from guiding Delhi to the Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-finals, pulled up mid-session and was sent for scans.
“Pant felt a sudden onset [of] discomfort in his right lateral abdominal area while batting in the nets during India’s practice session on Saturday afternoon at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara,” a BCCI statement said. “He was taken for MRI scans immediately and the BCCI medical team had a detailed discussion with an expert on his clinical and radiological findings. Pant has been diagnosed with a side strain (oblique muscle tear) and is subsequently ruled out of the ODI series.”
Dhruv Jurel, still awaiting a first ODI cap, has joined the squad as cover. The 24-year-old right-hander comes in on the back of six fifty-plus scores in his last seven List-A innings for Uttar Pradesh, two of them converted into hundreds. Despite that purple patch, he struggled during the Test tour of South Africa last year and will start this series as deputy to KL Rahul, India’s preferred keeper in 50-over cricket.
From a tactical perspective, Pant’s absence removes a left-hand option in the middle order but does not disturb the core XI. Rahul, fit again after his own injury issues, slots straight in behind the stumps. Former India selector Devang Gandhi offered a measured view, noting on DD Sports: “It’s a blow in terms of balance, yet India have planned around Rahul for a while. The bigger concern is keeping Pant match-ready for the T20 World Cup.”
The series opens in Vadodara on Sunday before moving to Rajkot on 14 January and Indore on 18 January. A five-match T20I leg follows, ending 31 January, effectively serving as the final tune-up for the global tournament in February-March. Neither Pant nor Jurel features in the T20I squad, allowing both to focus on recovery and acclimatisation respectively.
Updated India ODI squad
Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk).
Pant’s rehabilitation period is expected to be around a month, though the medical team will reassess after ten days. In the meantime, Jurel gets a chance — even if only in the dressing-room — to push his case ahead of a packed white-ball calendar.
