Rishabh Pant ruled out of India A squad for New Zealand tour, Kumar Kushagra named replacement

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the first two matches of India A’s tour of New Zealand due to a left-side strain he suffered while captaining Rest of India in the Irani Cup. Pant is recovering under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team and his availability for the third match will be decided later. Kumar Kushagra has been named as his replacement for the first two games.

“Rishabh Pant, whose availability for the India A tour of New Zealand was subject to fitness, has been ruled out of the first two matches. The wicketkeeper-batter had sustained a left-side strain while leading Rest of India in the Irani Cup. He remains under the care of the BCCI Medical Team and is recovering well. A decision on his availability for the third match will be taken at a later stage. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Kumar Kushagra as Pant’s replacement for the first two matches,” BCCI said in a statement.

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India A will play a three-match unofficial Test series against New Zealand from Oct 24 to Nov 10, with matches scheduled in Lincoln and Christchurch.

The squad includes several players with international experience, such as KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar. Their experience will be important as India A prepare for the overseas tour.

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India A’s updated squad

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Dhruv Jurel (C) (WK), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar and Kumar Kushagra (WK) (1st and 2nd matches).