Pant to Miss All India A Games, But New Zealand Tests Still Possible

Rishabh Pant is set to play no part in India A's three-match series against New Zealand A, after being ruled out of the third and final four-day match in Lincoln.

Pant has been out of action since picking up a side strain in the Irani Cup in early October, and he has already missed the first two matches of the series.

The Lincoln match runs from 7 to 10 November, and it will also go ahead without him.

He has resumed skill training and is reported to be free of pain, but there is still no confirmed date for his return to competitive cricket.

An assessment around 9 and 10 November is the next step, and if he is cleared, he is expected to fly to New Zealand around 10 and 11 November to join the Test squad ahead of the first Test in Wellington on 19 November, so the Test series remains a real possibility even though he will have had no warm-up game.

Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, is expected to be available for the Lincoln match as he builds up to the Test series.