Padikkal & Nitish Back In Contention, Pant Ruled Out Of West Indies Test Series. India will entertain the West Indies in a two-Test home series beginning October 2. The initial news of consideration for selection has already caused excitement. Rishabh Pant is out due to injury, and Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy are his replacements.
Pant sustained a fracture to his left foot in the Test series against England. He is now undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. With less than two weeks until the Test series begins, medical staff have confirmed that the wicketkeeper-batter will not be available. Dhruv Jurel is expected to take over the starting keeper role, and N. Jagadeesan is likely to take over as the keeper’s cover.
Youngsters under consideration for call-up
In light of Pant’s absence, and to bolster the batting core, selectors will be evaluating younger and fresher options. Devdutt Padikkal, who has been prolific in red-ball cricket lately, is expected to be an option in the top order, potentially at No. 3. Nitish Kumar Reddy, regardless of fitness issues in the recent past, was also cited as a possible candidate for the middle order. While Padikkal and Reddy would be first-time Test call-ups, both young options represent India’s move to develop backup talent in long-format cricket. Both could be selected when the squad is announced later this week.
Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the BCCI, has said that the squad’s announcement will come on or before September 24. There will be a meeting of selectors in an online format. In addition to Padikkal and Nitish, Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar, and Sarfaraz Khan are other names under consideration.
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The series will start on October 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the second test in Delhi starting on October 10. With Pant out, there will have to be some changes in India’s team balance. The performance of young contenders could be the difference maker against the visiting West Indies.