India vs New Zealand: Hosts Suffer Major Setback After Rishabh Pant Ruled Out Due To Injury Ahead Of ODI Series

The Indian cricket team’s wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the white-ball series of three ODIs against New Zealand due to a strain injury on his right side picked up during practice sessions. The 28-year-old experienced discomfort after being hit on the rib cage by a throw from a throwdown expert on January 10 at the BCA B ground in Vadodara, and thus had to retire hurt while he was already in pain.

Injury Details

Medical images have confirmed a strain and a tear of the internal oblique muscle above the waist, which is why Pant has been ruled out of the series that begins on January 11 in Kotambi. The team’s medical staff judged the situation so difficult that he had to stop playing right away; he will then take a break before going to the BCCI’s Bengaluru Centre of Excellence for rehabilitation. This is in addition to his recovery from a toe fracture, which happened during the England Tests last year.

Team Impact

The primary ODI keeper for India is still KL Rahul, but the selector team led by Ajit Agarkar has to announce Pant’s replacement quickly, probably Jitesh Sharma or Dhruv Jurel. Shubman Gill (the team’s captain) and Gautam Gambhir (the coach) were the ones who saw the whole incident while the players were having an optional practice session. Pant’s recent form in the Vijay Hazare (two fifties for Delhi) was very strong and therefore guaranteed his inclusion, even though he had been out of ODIs for 17 months.

Series Schedule

• 1st ODI: January 11, Vadodara (BCA Stadium)
• 2nd ODI: January 14, Rajkot
• 3rd ODI: January 18, Indore (Holkar Stadium)

India is ready for a strong start without having Pant’s explosive batting; fans are wishing him a speedy recovery.