Why has N Jagadeesan been picked as Rishabh Pant's replacement during the England Tests?

A toe fracture on Day 1 of the 4th Test meant that Rishabh Pant’s series is done, and a contingency substitute will join the squad for the Oval Test. As the 4th Test has concluded, and the batters have done an immaculate job to keep India in the hunt to evade a series defeat, the BCCI has  entrusted faith in the talents of N Jagadeesan and picked him as the replacement for Pant.

Jagadeesan’s call-up has come rather surprising to the keen observers of Indian cricket, as wicketkeepers like Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat were seemingly above in the pecking order. Given that Kishan has been a regular feature in the IPL for many years, the Jharkhand cricketer comes as an alluring option, and reportedly, BCCI was interested in picking him for the 5th Test. So, why did the board zero in on Jagadeesan eventually?

As per reports, Ishan Kishan is nursing an injury on his left ankle and thus had no other option but to say no to chief selector Ajit Agarkar. As for KS Bharat, he was not approached by the board.

Jagadeesan’s record backs his selection

The Chennai cricketer came into the fray at the back of a stellar domestic season, particularly in red-ball cricket. In 52 First-Class games, the wicketkeeper-batsman has stockpiled 3,373 runs at a handsome 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 previous Ranji season, where he racked up 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.

While he has been brought in as an emergency replacement, it will be interesting to note whether he will make it to the playing XI or not for the Oval Test.

Dhruv Jurel, who has carried out duties as a substitute keeper in the last two tests, will be in the reckoning as well. Moreover, the team can fall back on KL Rahul, as he has spent time behind the wickets for India in the past.