Follow UsThe problems of the Indian team increased manyfold after their star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant got injured during the first innings of the third Test against England at Lord’s. The injury on Day 1 of the crucial third game in a five-match series meant that Dhruv Jurel kept wickets for India.
However, Jurel wouldn’t bat in Pant’s position if he doesn't get fit. Pant had hurt his left index finger while trying to save a down the leg delivery from Jasprit Bumrah from going for a four.
Now, the Indian management must search for a replacement if the injury is too risky for Pant to be involved in the entire series. Here are three players that the senior selection committee can consider as Pant’s replacement in the Indian squad for the remainder of the series.
Sarfaraz Khan has been a permanent member of the Test team ever since he was first drafted during England tour of India in early 2024. However, after just four failures in Tests against New Zealand at home, the right-hander was shunned and did not play even a single game in Australia.
Ahead of the start of the England tour, the 27-year-old had struck 92 against the England Lions and if anybody would replace Pant, Sarfaraz with his attacking style of batting fits the bill. But in that case, KL Rahul would have to keep.
Ishan Kishan was also on tour of England with India A ahead of the senior men’s team series. Though he did not bat in any of the two matches, Kishan found a suitor in Nottinghamshire, for whom he has already played two First-Class games and scored two fifties in two innings as well.
Kishan has four catches to his name as a wicketkeeper and has attempted a successful stumping as well. With him being in England, linking up with the team would not be an issue. Since he is an attacking left-hander too, it would be a like-for-like replacement.
And finally, the last option. Tilak Varma is also in England. He is an attacking left-hander, making it a like-for-like replacement as well. More than that, he can bowl off-spin, which means that the space taken by Washington Sundar can also be freed and both KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel can play with Tilak playing as batting all-rounder.
The Hyderabad batter struck a hundred in his maiden outing for Hampshire and then followed it up with a 56 and 47 in the two innings of the next game. In his First-Class career, Tilak has 8 wickets at an average of 20.12 and 1494 runs in 20 matches at a batting average of 48.18.