Injured Rishabh Pant replaced by Kumar Kushagra for first two India A vs New Zealand A unofficial Tests, Dhruv Jurel to lead

Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the India A squad for the two matches of the New Zealand tour after failing to recover in time. The BCCI has announced Kumar Kushagra as his replacement after his impressive form in the recent matches, which include centuries in the Duleep Trophy final and India A match against Australia A.

Pant was picked in the India A tour to New Zealand, subject to fitness, after he sustained a left-side strain while leading the Rest of India squad in the Irani Cup.

His availability for the third match is still uncertain. The BCCI will decide after assessing him, as he remains under the care of the BCCI Medical Team.

"He remains under the care of the BCCI Medical Team and is recovering well. A decision on his availability for the third match will be taken at a later stage. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Kumar Kushagra as Pant’s replacement for the first two matches," the BCCI said in the release.

Kushagra is the fourth uncapped Indian player in the squad. The other three are Smaran Ravichandran, Vidarbha batter Yash Rathod, and left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary.

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Pant was set to lead the India A team, but now Dhruv Jurel will take over as captain and wicketkeeper. The squad also features senior players Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Washington Sundar, along with Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan.

However, Rahul, Jaiswal, and Sundar are unlikely to play in the second and third matches because of a scheduling conflict with the ODI series.