Rishabh Pant ruled out of first two India A Tests in New Zealand; Kumar Kushagra named as replacement

Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the first two four-day matches of India A’s tour of New Zealand, which begins in Lincoln on October 24, 2026, after suffering a left-side strain.

The three-match multi-day series, with fixtures in Lincoln and Christchurch and the final game scheduled to begin on November 7, is intended to give several Indian players match practice in overseas red-ball conditions and an opportunity to strengthen their claims for the Test side. The India A squad includes KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar, and will be led by Dhruv Jurel.

Pant sustained the left-side strain while captaining Rest of India in the Irani Cup and had been selected for the tour subject to fitness clearance. He will miss the opening two matches as he continues his recovery under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team, and the selectors will assess his availability for the third match at a later stage.

The Men’s Selection Committee has named Kumar Kushagra as Pant’s replacement for the first two matches. The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has been in strong first-class form, having scored a century in the Duleep Trophy final and another hundred against Australia A in Puducherry.

Kushagra has recorded two centuries in his last three first-class matches and will be available as an option behind the stumps for the opening fixtures. With Pant unavailable, Dhruv Jurel is expected to take the primary wicketkeeping role for the first two games.

The full India A squad named for the tour reads: 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 (wicketkeeper for the first two matches).

Kumar Kushagra has been confirmed as Pant’s replacement for the opening pair of matches, and the Men’s Selection Committee will revisit Pant’s fitness ahead of the third game; the series begins on October 24 in Lincoln and the final match is scheduled to start on November 7 in Christchurch.