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Key Takeaways
- 1📊 Pant has 31 ODIs with 1 century and 5 fifties for India
- 2🏆 Dhruv Jurel earns late call-up as Pant’s replacement keeper
- 3💡 KL Rahul remains first-choice wicketkeeper-batter for this ODI squad
- 4🔮 Jurel now has a big chance to stake a long-term India claim in 2026
"Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the One-Day International series after getting injured during a practice session in Vadodara."
A massive early setback for Team India ahead of the New Zealand ODIs, as Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series with a side strain picked up during nets in Vadodara, forcing a late reshuffle to the squad.
Side strain sidelines Pant, opens door for Jurel
Pant felt sudden discomfort in his right lateral abdominal region while batting at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara during India’s practice session on Saturday, and subsequent scans confirmed an oblique muscle tear. For a player who has fought so hard to return to international cricket, this is a cruel pause just when his white-ball journey was gathering steam again.
The selectors have moved quickly, drafting in Dhruv Jurel as replacement. The young keeper-batter has already joined the squad in Vadodara and now finds himself on the brink of an unexpected ODI opportunity, straight against a quality New Zealand attack.
Pant last played an ODI for India in August 2024 in Sri Lanka and, despite having only 31 ODIs to his name, he has already produced a century and five fifties, often changing gears in that familiar fearless style that Indian fans adore.
With KL Rahul already the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in this squad and a key leadership voice in the dressing room, the immediate balance of the XI may not be shattered. But Pant’s absence removes that left-handed X-factor in the middle order – something India value highly in home conditions.
As the series doubles up as crucial preparation for a packed 2026 calendar, Jurel suddenly has the platform every young Indian cricketer dreams of. If he can translate his domestic and IPL promise to the international stage, this injury setback for Pant might just unearth another long-term option for the Men in Blue behind the stumps.
