Pant sustained knee injury during the opening Test against New Zealand.
Pant had skipped keeping duties in the second innings of the opening Test in Bengaluru after being rested throughout the third day following a knee injury on Day 2.
Pant had sustained the knee injury while fielding on Thursday (October 17), and was helped out of the field as Dhruv Jurel substituted him.
BCCI's Medical Team, in a precautionary move, advised Rishabh Pant to rest on Day 3, but the southpaw returned to action to score a valiant 99 in the second innings, before opting out of keeping duties.
Addressing the media after the Bengaluru Test loss, India skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that the management would have to be ‘extra careful’ with Pant, given that the latter suffered an injury on the same knee where he underwent an operation in 2023 following a car crash.
“He’s had a lot of minor surgeries and one big surgery on his knee and went through a lot of trauma, to be honest, in the last one and a half years. So it’s just about being extra careful, not just careful with him,” Rohit told reporters.
While the Indian captain did not clarify whether Pant would be fit enough to keep wickets in the Pune Test against New Zealand, The Indian Express reported that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel has left the decision on head coach Gautam Gambhir and Rohit.
With the fast-approaching Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where Pant is expected to hold a key, India would want to keep him fit and it would be a sensible call to rest him for the second Test against New Zealand.
Moreover, the hosts have someone like Dhruv Jurel in their ranks. Jurel impressed one and all with his batting and keeping exploits in the debut series against England earlier this year.