Pant has been out of action for the past three months due to a toe injury.
India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who has been out of action for the past three months due to a toe injury sustained on the Test tour of England, is all set to make his competitive return for India A later this month.
The southpaw had suffered a fractured toe on his right foot on Day 1 of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. The injury not only ruled him out of the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy but also denied him participation in the Asia Cup, the two-Test series against West Indies at home, and the ongoing white-ball tour of Australia.
On Tuesday (October 21), the BCCI Senior Men’s Selection Committee announced Pant as India A’s captain for the upcoming two four-day matches against South Africa A at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
With India’s two-Test series against South Africa at home beginning on November 14, a couple of four-day matches will serve as ideal preparation for Pant.
Apart from Rishabh Pant, the India A squad feature prominent names such as Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Ruturaj Gaikwad among others.
While the first four-day match between India A and South Africa A will be played from October 30 to November 2, the second game will take place from November 6 to 9.
India A squad for the 1st four-day match: Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Ayush Mhatre, N Jagdeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Saransh Jain.
India A squad for the 2nd four-day match: Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.