New Delhi, January 11 (). Team India has suffered a big setback before the first ODI match against New Zealand. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the three-match series due to a right side strain.
Pant was seen in his batting session for about 50 minutes in India’s optional practice session at the BCA B ground, but Pant felt discomfort after being hit above the waist while facing the ball from the throwdown specialist. Due to extreme pain, he immediately fell to his knees and was immediately handled by the support staff members and walked away from the nets.
“The team doctor’s scans and tests have revealed that Rishabh has a rib injury on his right side and a side strain, hence he has been ruled out of this ODI series against New Zealand,” sources told on Saturday.
Pant is now expected to rest for a few days, after which he will report to the BCCI Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for further tests and rehabilitation. Pant comes into the ODI series after captaining Delhi in the 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy league stage in Bengaluru. During this, Pant scored two half-centuries each against Services and Railways, due to which Delhi reached the knockout.
This is the second time Pant is out due to injuries. He fractured his right leg in the fourth Test against England in Manchester, and made a comeback through the two-match Test series against South Africa at home in November last year.
Pant has been a part of India’s ODI setup for the last two years, but he last played in the 50-over format during the Sri Lanka tour in August 2024. Ahead of the ODI series against New Zealand, there was speculation that Pant might be dropped, but the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee retained him in the team. But now that Pant is out, the Indian team management will have to choose someone else in his place.
Due to his good performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Dhruv Jurel and Ishan Kishan, who played in the T20 World Cup, are possible options to replace Pant.
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