Rishabh Pant Injury Update: India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was forced to miss the recent IND vs NZ ODI series after picking up an injury during a practice session prior to the start of the series. The dynamic left-handed suffered a blow to the waist region during throwdowns and could be seen in immediate pain before the physios ran in to attend him. Later, scans confirmed an oblique muscle tear.
However, according to the latest developments reported by Jagran, it is now understood that Pant’s rehabilitation is going positively. The 28-year-old is now set to return to batting and wicketkeeping by the first week of February, following which an assessment will be done regarding his return to competitive cricket.
For Rishabh Pant, it has been a difficult six months, having previously fractured his foot during the England Test series last year in July.
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Despite being a part of India’s title-winning campaign in T20 World Cup 2024, Rishabh Pant missed out on a spot for their title defence in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, starting this month. In the wicketkeeper’s role, India opted to go with Sanju Samson with Ishan Kishan earning an India call-up on the basis of a stellar domestic show.
Rishabh Pant has also fallen down the pecking order in ODIs with KL Rahul being the designated wicketkeeper in the 50-over format. He was picked for the South Africa ODIs but failed to get any match before missing the series against the Kiwis. Nevertheless, with the 2027 ODI World Cup lined up next year, Pant will be eager to carve out a spot for himself for the ICC event.
As of now, Pant remains first-choice in the longest format but Dhurv Jurel’s recent emergence means that India has a solid backup for Rishabh Pant.
Thus, talking about Rishabh Pant injury update timeline and his India comeback, it can take sometime. India doesn’t play any ODI or Test till June this year, when Afghanistan visits India, according to the FTP schedule although the exact dates are yet to be confirmed. Nevertheless, he can be seen in action before that, when he takes over the captaincy reins for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season, to be held in the March-May window after the T20 World Cup 2026.
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