India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Tuesday that he is hopeful that Rishabh Pant will be the wicketkeeper in the second Test against New Zealand after injuring his knee in the opener.
Pant made a valiant 99 in the opening loss to the Kiwis, marking the visitors’ first Test victory in India since 1988.
But while keeping wickets, he hurt the same knee that was operated on after a serious car crash in December 2022 that sidelined him for more than a year.
His fitness remains in focus as the hosts look to level the three-match series in the Test starting Thursday in Pune.
“Rishabh is pretty good. I think Rohit (Sharmna) touched on it the other day. He was having a little bit of discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. But fingers crossed, he’ll be good to keep in the Test as well,” he said.
“He (Gill) looks so (available for this Test). He has batted last week in Bangalore, he had a few nets, he’s got a little bit of discomfort, but I think he’ll be good to go for the Test,” he added.
Pant, 27, has made a remarkable comeback from the night his Mercedes rammed into a barrier, flipped and caught fire near New Delhi.
He was left with a damaged ligament in his right knee, a hurt wrist and ankle and abrasions to his back, and laboured through an intensive rehabilitation programme.
Ten Doeschate said the addition of Washington Sundar is “no desperate measure” but to add a bowling option who would take the ball away from the Kiwi left-handers.
“Definitely not. They (New Zealand) are filled with four left-handers in the XI. We’ve had Washy around the white-ball squad for a while and we like the way he operates. It’s also nice to see that guys are getting rewarded for Ranji Trophy performance as well.”
“We just want to make sure we’re absolutely prepared for conditions here and if that does mean taking the ball away from the left-hander, we want that option,” he added.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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