Injury blow for India as Rishabh Pant ruled out of New Zealand tour with A team

Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the first two India A matches in New Zealand with a side strain, with Kumar Kushagra named as his replacement. The injury raises questions over Pant's availability for the senior team's upcoming Test series.Rishabh Pant will miss the first two matches of India A tour of New Zealand (Courtesy: AP)New Delhi,Oct 12, 2026 20:05 ISTRishabh Pant has been ruled out of the first two matches of India A's multi-day tour of New Zealand after sustaining a left-side strain while leading Rest of India in the Irani Cup in September.The BCCI confirmed on Monday that wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra had been named as Pant's replacement for the two matches. Pant, who was initially selected subject to fitness, remains under the care of the BCCI Medical Team, with a decision on his availability for the third match to be taken later."He remains under the care of the BCCI Medical Team and is recovering well. A decision on his availability for the third match will be taken at a later stage," the BCCI said.The development raises questions over Pant's availability for India's senior team's upcoming Test series in New Zealand, scheduled to begin on November 19. The two-Test series will conclude on December 1. However, the BCCI has not announced India's Test squad yet, and there is no confirmation that Pant will miss the series. India A are scheduled to play three multi-day matches against New Zealand A from October 24 to November 10. The first match will be held in Lincoln, followed by the second in Christchurch and the third in Lincoln.Pant's injury is a setback ahead of the tour, with the three matches offering players an opportunity to build red-ball match practice in New Zealand conditions ahead of the Test series.WHO IS KUSHAGRA? Kumar Kushagra is a 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Jharkhand who is making waves in domestic cricket. The Gujarat Titans batter scored a century in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone in Chennai, playing a key role in East Zone's historic triumph.He followed that up with a century and an unbeaten 46 for India A against Australia A in a four-day match in Puducherry in September.Dhruv Jurel will continue to lead the India A squad, with Kushagra providing a capable reserve option behind the stumps.INDIA 'A' UPDATED SQUADYashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Dhruv Jurel [C] [WK], Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar Kushagra [WK] (1st and 2nd matches).SCHEDULE 1st Multi-Day Match: October 24-27, 2026 | Lincoln2nd Multi-Day Match: October 31-November 3, 2026 | Christchurch3rd Multi-Day Match: November 7-10, 2026 | Lincoln- Ends