IND vs NZ: Star Indian keeper-batter Rishabh Pant suffered a knee injury during the first Test match against New Zealand in Bengaluru. While Rishabh Pant did not keep the wickets after suffering the injury, he did come out to bat in the game’s second innings.
Even though Rishabh Pant was in pain, he still managed to play a valiant knock of 99 runs.
Indian cricket fans are quite worried about Rishabh Pant’s involvement in the second Test match, which begins on Thursday.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the Indian selectors have left the decision of Pant’s participation in the team management.
Dhruv Jurel, who kept wickets in Rishabh Pant’s absence in Bengaluru, is the possible replacement in case Pant is excluded from the second Test match.
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Meanwhile, addressing the issue on Sunday, the Indian Captain Rohit Sharma, speaking to the media in the post-match press conference admitted that the management would have to be extra careful with Rishabh Pant. It has to be noted that Pant incurred an injury on the same knee where he underwent a major operation in 2023 following his car accident. Rohit said:
“He’s had a lot of minor surgeries and one big surgery on his knee and 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, not just careful with him.”
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Meanwhile, the Indian cricket team suffered its third loss in the ongoing World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle. After South Africa and England, New Zealand has become the third SENA country to defeat India.
India’s batting failure in the first innings in Bengaluru made it difficult for them to rally. The team did, however, rally in the second innings, limiting New Zealand to a meager 107 runs. With ease, New Zealand attained its goal, winning by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
How Can India Qualify For The WTC 2023-25 Final:
The Men in Blue remains atop of the ongoing World Test Championship points table despite the loss. But now with this defeat, it would be more difficult for the Indian cricket team to qualify for the WTC final.
With seven matches left in the cycle, India must win at least four of them and also requires two draws to qualify for the final. A clean sweep against New Zealand would have eased the pressure, but that didn’t happen.
India’s current priority is to defeat New Zealand in the final two games. Prior to their arduous tour of Australia, where they will play five Test matches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the objective is to accumulate as many points as possible.
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