Rishabh Pant is set to fly to New Zealand on Thursday, November 12, once he finishes a match-simulation session at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on Wednesday. That would give him about a week to prepare for the first Test in Wellington on November 19.
The fitness clearancee
Pant’s recovery from a left-side strain has gone well enough that the medical staff at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru are reportedly satisfied. The trip is conditional on Wednesday’s simulation going to plan.
The road there has not been smooth. Pant had been at the Centre since October 23, but he did not clear his first fitness test on November 2, as Outlook India reported. A second assessment was lined up, and he was ruled out of India A’s third unofficial Test against New Zealand A in Lincoln (November 7 to 10).
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How the injury happened
Pant hurt his side while captaining Rest of India against Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup in Srinagar in early October. He made 10 and 8 in the match and missed a day with fever. He then sat out India A’s matches in New Zealand. He had asked to play for India A to find his batting rhythm, but the team management preferred not to rush him back.
An unnamed team source told The Times of India that the Test group rarely gets this much preparation time for an away series. The source added that Pant has toured Australia and England with only about a week between landing and a Test.
The squad and the backup plan
India named a 16-member squad on October 16, with Shubman Gill as captain and KL Rahul as vice-captain. Jasprit Bumrah returns after a long Test absence. Pant and Prasidh Krishna were both picked subject to fitness, per Sentinel Assam. Dhruv Jurel is the second wicketkeeper and would take the gloves if Pant is not cleared. Bumrah has already left for New Zealand.
The two-Test series starts at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on November 19. It moves to Christchurch from November 27 to December 1, and it counts toward the current World Test Championship cycle.
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Why his return matters
Pant last played for India in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo in August. After retiring hurt on 3 when a bouncer hit his forearm, he came back the next morning to score 63. He also added 112 for the seventh wicket with Jurel. Cricket Addictor notes that he has passed MS Dhoni’s tally of away Test runs among Indian wicketkeepers and leads India’s run-scorers in this World Test Championship cycle.
His comeback also continues a stop-start spell. He fractured a toe at Old Trafford in July 2025, took a Josh Hazlewood bouncer in IPL 2026, and tore an oblique that kept him out of the home ODIs against New Zealand. Now there is the Irani Cup strain.
What to watch
The key moment is Wednesday’s simulation. If he passes and travels, he will have only nets and training in Wellington before the Test. He has played no competitive match since August apart from the Irani Cup. If he does not pass, Jurel gets the Wellington Test.
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