Rishabh Pant has been cleared by the BCCI medical staff after recovering from a side strain, and he left for New Zealand early on Thursday to link up with the India Test squad. Rishabh Pant will join the squad in Wellington on Friday 14 November, ahead of the first Test of the two-match series. His clearance ends a spell on the sidelines that began during the Irani Cup in early October.
Pant suffered the side strain while captaining Rest of India against Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup in Srinagar, in a match played between 1 and 4 October. He then underwent rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru from 23 October, working through his recovery away from the squad. He missed the India A four-day matches against New Zealand A and was ruled out of the first two of them.
Rishabh Pant passes fitness tests in Bengaluru
Rishabh Pant completed two match-simulation sessions on 10 and 11 November without discomfort, and the medical staff then cleared him to travel. The sessions were the final step in a rehabilitation programme that began at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru in late October. His last international appearance was in August 2026, in the second Test against Sri Lanka.
The first Test of the two-match series begins in Wellington on 19 November, and the second Test is in Christchurch from 27 November. The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Rishabh Pant has played 52 Test matches for India, scoring 3,725 runs at an average of 43.82, with eight centuries and 21 half-centuries.
Jurel provides cover behind the stumps
Dhruv Jurel is the other wicketkeeper in the squad, and he has been with the Test group while Rishabh Pant worked through his rehabilitation. The selectors kept both keepers in the squad while Pant’s fitness was assessed, and the clearance now gives the team management two options for the first Test. Jurel has been part of the Test setup in recent series and has kept wicket at this level before.
Gill, KL Rahul and Anshul Kamboj left the ODI squad after the third match in Hamilton to prepare for the Tests. The third ODI was washed out because of rain, with no ball bowled in Hamilton, and the Test group then travelled to Wellington for red-ball preparations ahead of the first Test on 19 November. India lead the five-match ODI series 2-0 after wins in Auckland and Wellington, and the fourth ODI is scheduled for Friday 13 November.
Rishabh Pant returns to a settled Test side
Rishabh Pant returns to a side that has settled into its Test plans over the past year. His record in the format gives the middle order a left-handed batter who has scored runs in away Tests, and his keeping has been part of India’s plans in the longer format for several seasons. The team management will now weigh his match readiness after a break of three months from international cricket.
Rishabh Pant has been one of India’s most consistent Test performers since his debut, and his eight centuries include hundreds in Australia, England and South Africa. His average of 43.82 across 52 Tests reflects a record built on runs in varied conditions, and his return gives the selectors a proven option for the two matches in New Zealand.
First Test starts in Wellington on 19 November
The first Test begins in Wellington on 19 November, with the second Test in Christchurch from 27 November. Both matches count towards the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, and the series follows the five-match ODI series between the two sides. Pant will link up with the squad on Friday 14 November, five days before the first Test.
Rishabh Pant will train with the squad in Wellington after his arrival on Friday, and the team management will then decide on the side for the first Test. His clearance closes a five-week rehabilitation that began in Bengaluru on 23 October, and it restores a senior player to the group before a two-match series that carries championship points.