new delhi, Sept 23
Rishabh Pant is highly unlikely to feature in the two-Test series against the West Indies, starting in Ahmedabad from October 2 as the star wicketkeeper-batter continues his recovery from the foot injury he sustained during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Pant fractured his toe while attempting to reverse-sweep Chris Woakes during the fourth Test of India’s tour to England. Though he returned to bat later in the innings, he was subsequently ruled out of the fifth Test and advised to rest for six weeks.
Pant’s likely replacement would be Dhruv Jurel, who kept wickets in both the fourth and fifth Tests of that series, and is currently leading India A in its second unofficial Test against Australia A in Lucknow.
N Jagadeesan was named as Pant’s replacement in the squad during the England tour, and the Tamil Nadu youngster, who is currently in action for India A, could potentially retain his place in the Test squad, which chief selector Ajit Agarkar & Co could unveil on Wednesday.
Besides Pant, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is currently a part of India’s T20I squad at the Asia Cup, is also likely to be rested from the two Tests against the Caribbean outfit, keeping in mind his workload management.
In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Siraj is expected to lead the attack with Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna. The series could also see Mohammed Shami’s return if declared fit. The spin attack led by Ravindra Jadeja, could be on expected lines with Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel.
In the batting department, the opening combination of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul is unlikely to be tinkered. It will be interesting to see the composition of the middle order, with captain Shubman Gill likely to stick to the No.4 spot. Sai Sudharsan could be given a longer rope for the No.3 spot, while Devdutt Padikkal and Shreyas Iyer could also be pushing their cases for a spot in the middle order. Karun Nair, who ended his eight-year wait for a comeback to international cricket during the England tour, however, failed to cash on to the opportunity and thus could be shown the exit door.
