Pant’s New Zealand trip depends on fitness simulations

Rishabh Pant is undergoing fitness simulations at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, and a BCCI source said he would travel to Wellington on November 12 if he completes both rounds successfully. His clearance and departure have not been confirmed.

The source said Pant was taking part in match simulations on November 10, with another round scheduled for November 11. The conditional update was attributed to an unnamed BCCI source. Reports described Pant as likely to join India for its two-Test series against New Zealand, but did not confirm the outcome of the tests or that he had travelled.

Pant sustained a side strain while playing for Rest of India in the Irani Cup. He was initially named in an India A squad subject to fitness, but did not receive the required Return to Play clearance from the Centre of Excellence. He subsequently missed India A matches during the team’s tour of New Zealand.

India named Pant in its 16-member Test squad on October 16, subject to fitness. One report said the team management decided against an early return in India A matches and considered his experience and preparation time sufficient. That account did not include a direct comment from the management.