India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has provided updates on Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill’s fitness for their second Test against New Zealand in Pune.
Pant hurt his knee during the second day of the Bengaluru Test while attempting to collect a ball behind the wickets. He was writhing in pain before handing reserve wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel the gloves for the rest of the second innings. However, he came to bat in the third, scoring a stroke-filled 99, which gave India a sniff in the Test match despite conceding a 356-run first-innings lead.
He also didn’t keep during the 27.4 overs India bowled in the fourth innings. The hosts' cautious approach with Pant was understandable given the serious knee injuries the wicketkeeper-batter suffered in a car crash in 2022.
Ten Doeschate, however, revealed that Pant is likely to feature in the second match of the series: "Rishabh's pretty good. I think Rohit [Sharma] touched on it the other day. He was having a little bit of discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. But fingers crossed he'll be good to keep in this Test as well."
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Should Gill straightaway fit into the XI?
Gill, on the other hand, was unavailable for the series opener due to neck stiffness. On Gill's fitness, ten Doeschate said: "He's batted last week in Bangalore, he had a few nets. He's got a little bit of discomfort, but I think he will be good to go for the Test."
However, India face a conundrum once Gill comes back. Sarfaraz Khan, who replaced him in the previous match, starred with a 195-ball 150 in the second innings, rising to fourth place on the list of players with the highest first-class average. India will most likely accommodate Gill in the team. It may come down to a straight shootout between Sarfaraz and KL Rahul for a spot. Sarfaraz has form on his side, but Rahul seemingly has the management’s backing at No.6.
Find India's predicted XI for the Test here.
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