India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate shared an update on the fitness of Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill ahead of the second Test against New Zealand, set to start on October 24 at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Gill missed the first Test due to neck stiffness, while Pant hurt his knee while wicketkeeping. After getting injured on Day 2, Pant did not keep wickets but still batted in the second innings, scoring 99 to help India overcome the trail.
Pant’s availability for the next match is still uncertain. Even during the post-match press conference, captain Rohit Sharma said that they need to be “extra careful” with Pant, as he had several surgeries after his car accident.
“Rishabh is pretty good. I think Rohit touched on it the other day. He was having a little bit of discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. But fingers crossed, he’ll be good to keep in the Test as well,” Doeschate said in the press conference.
Meanwhile, Gill is expected to return for the second Test. He was seen practicing on Day 4 and Day 5 of the Bengaluru Test.
“He (Gill) looks available for this Test. He batted last week in Bangalore, had a few nets, and though he has a little discomfort, I think he’ll be good to go for the Test,” Doeschate added.
In Gill’s absence, Sarfaraz Khan stepped up, scoring 150 in the second innings. On the other hand, KL Rahul has struggled, scoring 0 and 12 in the first Test.
Doeschate explained that head coach Gautam Gambhir wants to give Rahul more time, but acknowledged the competition for middle-order spots.
“It’s not like we’re worried about his form. Gauti has been keen to give him (Rahul) as much rope as we can. We have a lot of faith in him,” Doeschate said.
Doeschate also mentioned that it’s a very competitive environment, with Sarfaraz scoring 150 plus runs (222 not out) in the Irani Trophy final. He concluded that the decision would be what’s best for the team.
