 "Rishabh Pant injury has compelled BCCI to look for a replacement. AFP")
With Rishabh Pant virtually ruled out of the fifth Test for the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy at The Oval owing to a toe fracture, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is looking forward to bringing a capable replacement on board. The board is navigating through options, and as per striking reports, they have zeroed in on a name.
According to Cricbuzz, BCCI have identified Tamil Nadu cricketer N Jagadeesan as the ideal replacement for the injured Pant, and an announcement regarding the same is expected to come out soon. Earlier, the reports of Ishan Kishan being the potential alternate made waves, but it turns out the Jharkhand cricketer is not available. Thus, they moved to the next best option.
Jagdeesan’s performance brought him into the scheme of things
Jagadeesan may have come into the fray based on his stellar domestic performance, particularly in red-ball cricket. In 52 First-Class matches, the wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 3,373 runs at a fine average of 47.50. He has 14 half-centuries and 10 centuries to his name in the domestic circuit.
He emerged as a standout player in the last Ranji season, where he amassed 674 runs in eight matches at a brilliant average of 56.16, notching two hundreds and five fifties in the process. He ended up being the leading run-scorer for his state in the competition.
Ideally, the selectors would have explored the A side that toured England ahead of the senior team, but with limited options available – Kishan injured and Dhruv Jurel already a part of the squad – they had to look elsewhere.
The selectors had the option to pick KS Bharat, another keeper-batter, who is currently playing in England for Dulwich CC. Bharat has even played a Test in England but was not considered for the role.
With Rishabh Pant injured, Jurel will carry out the wicketkeeping duties in the fourth Test at Old Trafford . India also have the option to hand over the keeping duties to KL Rahul, who has kept wickets in international games, including in the World Cup and Champions Trophy.