The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter has scored 3,427 runs in Tests.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to announce the squad which will compete against the West Indies in the two-Test series starting October 2. The Indian cricket team is currently playing the Asia Cup 2025 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Test skipper Shubman Gill is the deputy for the Blues alongside Suryakumar Yadav in the shortest format. However, he will have to switch formats real quick after the Asia Cup comes to an end. Also, the Indians will have to find a replacement for Rishabh Pant.
The Indians are hosting the West Indies for the first time after 2018. The Windies declared the squad a few days ago, dropping former skipper Kraigg Brathwaite. Roston Chase will be leading the side which will play two Test matches in Ahmedabad and Delhi respectively. The first Test will be played from October 2, and the second Test will commence from October 10. The Blues will then leave for Australian shores to play a white-ball series.
Though the Indians look well set for the upcoming Test series, they have a minor problem holding them back. Rishabh Pant, India’s vice-captain in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will mostly not be able to participate in the Test series. This comes after the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter was injured in the fourth Test against England in July 2025. The important question for the management to address would be the player to take Pant’s spot.
The injury which Rishabh Pant suffered in the fourth Test against England was quite severe. The Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) skipper tried to reverse-scoop a delivery from Chris Woakes. But it hit him on the outside of his right foot instead. He was in excruciating pain as the physios carried him off the field. Pant is currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for his recovery.
In Pant’s absence, Dhruv Jurel will walk in to the side on the back of some promising performances. Moreover. Narayan Jagadeesan, who was added to India’s squad after Pant was ruled out of the fifth Test might also find a place in the squad as a back-up.
Jurel scored a fantastic 140 in the first innings of the first unofficial Test match against Australia A in Lucknow. His innings included 13 boundaries and five maximums, being played at a strike-rate of a healthy 71.06. There will be no doubts about Jurel’s place in the Indian XI in the absence of Pant. In five Test matches so far, Jurel has scored 255 runs with one fifty under his belt.
Narayan Jagadeesan, who will have high hopes of being included in the squad has been proving his mettle at the domestic level. In 54 First-class matches, Jagadeesan has scored 3,686 runs at a staggering average of 50.49. The wicketkeeper-batter from Tamil Nadu has 11 hundreds and 16 fifties to his name in First-class cricket.
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Ravichandran Ashwin once said in an interview, “there’s plan A, plan B, plan C, and Rishabh’s plan.” The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter is a menace when it comes to the mindset. Rishabh Pant is not afraid to step out of his crease on the first ball he faces. And that is what makes him special. The Indians would love to have him back as soon as they can.
Pant was the fourth-highest run-scorer for India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, despite playing a match less. The 27-year-old piled up 479 runs with three half-centuries and two hundreds in the four matches he played. Pant takes the attack to the opposition. He can grace the fine line between aggression and negligence. Over a period of time, he has developed the art of having a method to his madness.
Having a batter who can score runs at a brisk pace always helps the team. To add to that, Pant is a gutsy character. After being hit on the outside part of the foot, he came out to bat in the first innings with his foot heavily padded up. His courage was lauded by a lot of experts. In 47 Tests so far, Pant has scored 3,427 runs at an average of 44.5, with a highest score of an unbeaten 159.
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