Ajit Agarkar Gives Big Update On Rishabh Pant’s Return Date: ‘Hopefully Will Be…’ | Cricket News

Rishabh Pant suffered a foot injury while playing a reverse sweep shot off Chris Woakes’ bowling on Day 1 of the fourth India-England Test in Manchester on July 23. He has been out of action since then. Pant was not picked for the two-match Test series against the West Indies by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee on Thursday (September 25), and while speaking to reporters during the presser in Dubai, Agarkar gave a big update on Pant’s return date.

According to Agarkar, Pant was not fit for the West Indies, but he is hoping that the 27-year-old stumper will be available for the home series against South Africa.

“Rishabh Pant is not fit for the West Indies series; hopefully he will be available for home Tests against South Africa,” Agarkar said.

India will face the 2025 WTC winners in a two-match Test series in November 2025. The series opener is scheduled to take place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata from November 14 to 18, and Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium will host the second Test from November 22 to 26.

In the 2025 edition of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Pant played four matches for the Shubman Gill-led side and, with the help of two centuries and three fifties, scored 479 runs in seven innings.

In the five-day format of the game, Pant has played three matches against South Africa and scored 186 runs. In India, Pant has played 13 Test matches so far and, with the help of two centuries and nine fifties, scored 1061 runs. His batting average in Test cricket (overall) is 44.50.

In Pant’s absence, Dhruv Jurel will be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the two-match series against the West Indies. Jurel has played five Tests for India so far and scored 255 runs.

Tamil Nadu’s wicketkeeper-batter Narayan Jagadeesan, who replaced Pant in India’s squad for the fifth Test against England at The Oval, has also been picked up for the home series against the Roston Chase-led side.

Jagadeesan has been in red-hot form these days. The 29-year-old right-handed batter scored 197 and 52* for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2025 semifinal match against North Zone and scored 64 runs for India A against Australia A in the first unofficial Test match in Lucknow last week.