Pant to undergo second test to prove fitness for New Zealand tour

After failing to clear a fitness test on Sunday at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru (CoE), Rishabh Pant has been given another chance to prove his fitness before he can board the flight to New Zealand to be in line for selection for India's first Test starting November 19.

Pant, who suffered a side strain during the Irani Cup in early October, has been at the CoE since October 23 and is understood to have started both batting and keeping.

The BCCI medical staff is understood to have wanted to arrange another test in the coming two days to ascertain Pant's complete fitness before clearing him to travel to New Zealand. If cleared, Pant will join the India A squad ahead of the third four-day match against New Zealand A, which starts in Lincoln on November 7.

The selectors had included Pant in the India A squad as well as the squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand that will follow, but marked an asterisk against his name in their press statement owing to the question mark over his fitness. He was subsequently ruled out of the first and second fixtures of that series.

The selectors had named the uncapped Kumar Kushagra for the first two four-dayers against New Zealand A once Pant was ruled out of those games on October 12. Kushagra didn't get a look-in in the first two games of the series, though, with Dhruv Jurel, also the captain of the side, keeping wicket.

While India will expect Pant to be fit for selection for the first Test, to be played in Wellington, they do have Jurel as part of the main squad.

Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, is understood to have left for New Zealand on Sunday and is expected to feature in the third four-day match for India A. Bumrah, who has not played since the Asian Games final in early October, was last week at CoE going through the ready-for-play routine before flying out. Bumrah had been training - and bowling - in Ahmedabad, where he is based, before heading to the CoE.