India A's vice-captain Sai Sudharsan has given a huge update on captain Rishabh Pant’s fitness and revealed that the keeper-batter is looking fitter and raring to go in the upcoming two 4-day games against South Africa A.

Pant returns after a three-month hiatus due to a foot injury suffered in England in July. The 28-year-old hopes to return to the national team for the two-match Test series against the Proteas.

"Rishabh looks fantastic—actually, maybe fitter, I would say. He had some time to build and put that training into his legs because sometimes when you get injured, you have that specific time to work on whatever you want. I feel he looks a bit more fit and strong, and as courageous as he always is," said Sudharsan after India A's training session.

The Tamil Nadu batsman claimed Pant was his usual cheery self during the training session at the BCCI CoE, and he encouraged the squad to use the matches to rediscover red-ball rhythm.

"The message from Pant is very clear. We were in a huddle on the first day of training, and he was saying that this is a great opportunity for everybody to get back into the rhythm of the game. At the same time, we are also playing to win, and that is the main thing," he added.

Sudharsan, who has been backed to excel at the no. 3 spot in the Indian Test team, spoke on working on his footwork and technique ahead of the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa.

“I am refining quite a lot of my footwork from a technical point of view. But more importantly, I am understanding what a number three player has to do for the team. I am understanding the role better and trying to implement that.

There are not many technical differences, as I feel it's more about getting better tactically. In international cricket, tactical pointers and tactical advantage are very important to be one notch up on the bowler. I am working on that,” Sai said.

Sudharsan emphasized the importance of gaining a tactical advantage over the opposition because flaws will be exposed at the top level of cricket.

“In international cricket, you do not have so many loopholes to play with; you do not have so many gaps to fill because almost everybody (you face) is one of the best in their country. So, I think it is all about the tactical changes that you do and the tactical objectives that you use against a particular bowler, according to the strengths and weaknesses they have. I feel that is what I am learning now; I am probably refining it more and finding the best pattern to be the No. 3 for India,” he added.

The first of the four-day games will be played at the BCCI CoE ground from October 30 onwards.

(PTI inputs)