Star India player ruled out of NZ 'A' vs IND 'A' 3rd match; in doubt for NZ vs IND 2026 1st Test: Reports

India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant will not feature in the third and final four-day match between India A and New Zealand A in Lincoln, scheduled to begin on November 7, and is also in doubt for the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington, due to injury. He was earlier ruled out of the first two matches as well, with the selectors naming Kumar Kushagra as his replacement.

Rishabh Pant was included in India's 16-man Test squad, but his selection was made subject to a fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team. In the meantime, he has been working at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

According to a report by the Dainik Jagran, the southpaw has restarted skill training and is free of pain, but no date has been fixed for his return to competitive cricket.

"Uncertainty also looms over playing in the first Test match; he was injured in the Irani Cup final. After recovering from the injury, he has resumed skill training. Currently, he is not feeling any pain, nor are any clinical symptoms related to the injury visible. As a precautionary measure, he has been dropped from the India A team for the third unofficial Test match against New Zealand A," the report read.

“After recovering from his injury, Pant has restarted his skill training. Currently, he is not experiencing any pain, and no clinical symptoms related to the injury are visible. However, no definite timeline has been set yet for his return to competitive cricket," the report added.

Rishabh Pant had picked up a left-side strain while captaining Rest of India (ROI) in the Irani Cup 2026 against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar in early October. He scored 10 and 8 in the 167-run win and did not take the field on the final day because of a fever. He then also missed Delhi's opening Ranji Trophy 2026-27 fixture as he continued to recover on the sidelines.

Rishabh Pant has been unfortunate with injuries for a while now ahead of India's tour of New Zealand

The wicket-keeper has had a string of injuries since his return to competitive cricket after a lengthy layoff due to an unfortunate car accident.

In July 2025, during the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford in Manchester, the flamboyant player inside-edged a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes into his right foot and fractured a toe. He retired hurt on 37 and was taken off on a buggy. He came into bat again in the contest with great discomfort, and was eventually ruled out of the series finale at The Oval, and then missed the West Indies Tests and the white-ball leg of the Australia tour while he rehabilitated the foot.

Prior to his recent injury setback, he had dealt with multiple blows while batting against pacers. In the IPL 2026 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, he was hit by a Josh Hazlewood bouncer and was retired hurt. In the recent tour of Sri Lanka, a Lahiru Kumara bouncer struck Pant on the left forearm, as he attempted a pull shot. He retired hurt on 3 on that occasion, but returned the following morning to make a crucial 63.

Rishabh Pant finds himself in a race against time at the moment as the first Test against New Zealand is scheduled to begin on November 19 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.

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