Rishabh Pant gets BCCI CoE’s fitness clearance, leaves for New Zealand ahead of Test series

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has received fitness clearance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team and left for New Zealand early on Thursday ahead of India's upcoming Test series, according a Cricinfo report.

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has received fitness clearance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team and left for New Zealand early on Thursday ahead of India's upcoming Test series, according to a Cricinfo report. India, currently facing off against New Zealand in a five-match ODI series with the fourth ODI set to take place on Friday, will contest a two-Test series, beginning November  19.

Pant will join the Indian Test squad in Wellington on Friday. He had been recovering from a side strain sustained during the Irani Cup in Srinagar, held from October 1 to 4, where he captained the Rest of India side. The wicketkeeper-batter had been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru since October 23. He was named in both India's Test squad for the New Zealand tour and the India A squad for the four-day matches against New Zealand A, subject to fitness clearance.

Pant missed the first two four-day matches between India A and New Zealand A and was initially expected to join the team for the third fixture, played from November 7 to 10. However, his rehabilitation was extended after the BCCI medical team decided that he needed additional time at the CoE for his fitness assessment. Pant will join captain Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Anshul Kamboj in Wellington, with the trio having left the ODI squad after the third match of the five-game series to prepare for the upcoming Tests.

Coming to the ODIs, the visitors are leading a rain-hit series 2-0. The third ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton, was washed out due to rain. This means that, after facing defeat to India in the first and second ODIs, the best the Kiwis can do is to draw the series by winning the next two ODIs. Meanwhile, Men in Blue look set for their first ODI series win in NZ since the 2018-19 season. (ANI)