India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's comeback is delayed as the southpaw is set to miss the upcoming two-match home Test series against West Indies, starting on October 02 in Ahmedabad. India's selection meeting for the two-match Test series is scheduled on September 24.
According to the ESPNCricinfo report, Ajit Agarkar-led panel will pick 15 players, which is two fewer than the squad picked for the New Zealand home Test series last October. Notably, Pant missed the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy due to a foot injury he suffered in the fourth Test of the England tour. Subsequently, the southpaw was replaced by N Jagadeesan in the squad for the final Oval Test.
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Currently, the LSG captain is at the BCCI's Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. It is understood that Pant is undergoing strength and conditioning and is awaiting further updates from the BCCI medical team before resuming full-fledged batting and keeping. However, there is no exact deadline for his return. After the West Indies series, India will play a white-ball series Down Under, starting October 19. In Pant's absence, Dhruv Jurel is likely to be the designated keeper-batter.
The youngster is currently in Lucknow playing against Australia A. He also kept wickets in the final two Tests of the England series. Jagadeesan, who is part of the Australia A series, could be the backup keeper to Jurel in case the selectors want a backup keeper-batter.
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Opportunity for Dhruv Jurel to cement a place in Test team in absence of Rishabh Pant
Notably, Jurel, who made his Test debut in 2024 during the home Test series against England, has admirably filled in well whenever Pant was out injured. The right-hand batter's keeping has improved leaps and bounds, and his batting has also evolved from being a hitter to a dependable lower-order batter. In Pant's absence, Jurel has a chance to cement a place in the team with his neat glove work and commendable batting performances.
The two-match Test series against West Indies will be part of the World Test Championship (WTC). India is currently sitting third on the points table, after drawing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2. The West Indies are placed sixth after three losses in three games.
