Rishabh Pant remains unavailable for India A’s third fixture against New Zealand A in Lincoln due to a side strain. Currently undergoing rehabilitation at Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence, Pant’s participation in the two-Test series against New Zealand, starting on 19 November at Wellington’s Basin Reserve, is uncertain.
Meanwhile, Test specialists Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are set to feature in the upcoming match to prepare for the Tests. Bumrah has spent two days with the squad since arriving in New Zealand, while Jadeja joins after participating in two Ranji Trophy matches for Saurashtra, gaining seven wickets and scoring a century.
Tilak Varma, India’s T20I vice-captain, has stepped into Pant’s role within the India A team in Lincoln. Dhruv Jurel leads the squad and stands by to keep wicket if Pant is not fit for the Test series. Nitish Kumar Reddy, a seam-bowling allrounder recently part of the ODI team, remains in the squad.
Additionally, Prasidh Krishna is poised to play against New Zealand A, aiming for full match fitness after recovering from a hamstring strain. Though cleared for all formats, he was not hastily reintroduced to the ODI setup to maintain his readiness for the Tests. His place in the ODI team was filled by Auqib Nabi from Jammu & Kashmir, who would have otherwise played the third A match.
Elsewhere, Mohammed Siraj has joined the ODI squad in Wellington following a rest after the second unofficial Test in Christchurch. During that match, he bowled 35 overs, capturing four wickets for 118 runs.
Notably, Shubman Gill, captain of India’s Test and ODI teams, will not play in the upcoming red-ball match due to overlap with the second and third ODIs. He will, however, join the Test preparations after the third ODI in Hamilton.
This series marks India’s first Test tour to New Zealand since their 2-0 defeat in 2020, on the eve of the Covid-19 outbreak. Among the current squad, only Gill, Bumrah, Pant, and Jadeja were part of that previous tour. India’s position in the World Test Championship table leaves them needing wins in both Tests to keep their hopes alive for the final in June 2027.
