ENG vs IND, 4th Test: Former CSK player likely to replace injured Rishabh Pant

When the news of Rishabh Pant’s injury, a fractured toe, broke out, many initial reports claimed that the selection committee was looking at Ishan Kishan as a replacement. But later, it was revealed that the southpaw himself fell on the floor and got a few stitches in the leg and won’t be available to take part in the fifth Test of the series at the Kia Oval.

The current reports have given a different picture of status, which states that N Jagadeesan, the former player for the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders, is in line to replace the injured wicket-keeper for the fifth Test of the series. The right-handed batter from Tamil Nadu is almost certain to be added to the squad.

See Also: [WATCH] Rishabh Pant comes out to bat amidst fractured toe during ENG vs IND 4th Test in Manchester

The BCCI selection committee is looking to bring someone new into the squad as a cover. Their list of injuries has grown as Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the series with ligament damage, while Arshdeep Singh couldn’t play due to a broken finger.

Former CSK batter likely to replace injured Rishabh Pant

The 29-year-old batter, who is expected to join the squad, has been picked for his stellar domestic performance. Particularly in the red-ball format, he has experienced an incredible performance of 3373 runs in 52 first-class games at an average of 47.50, scoring 14 half-centuries and 10 centuries.

In the last season of the Ranji Trophy, he drilled 674 runs in eight games at an average of 56.16 with two hundreds and five half-centuries. That was the most runs for Tamil Nadu, his state, in the competition. Among wicket-keepers, he had the second-best aggregate after Vidarbha’s Akshay Wadkar, who thumped 722 runs at 45.12 in 10 games.

KS Bharat is another player who can’t be ruled out yet. He is currently playing in England for Dulwich CC. The Andhra batter was also part of the WTC 2023 final against Australia at the Kennington Oval, but wasn’t considered. Dhruv Jurel is likely to replace Pant in the squad as the backup keeping option of KL Rahul is already in the side.