Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been declared fit for the upcoming Pune Test against New Zealand, starting October 24, after recovering from a knee injury sustained during the first Test. Pant, who hurt his knee on the second day of the Bengaluru Test, has undergone treatment and will be available for selection, according to reports.
The 27-year-old, who had surgery on the same knee after a near-fatal car crash in late 2022, returned to the field to bat in India's second innings but looked uncomfortable while running between the wickets during his defiant 99.
"He's had a massive operation on his leg, we all know what he went through," Rohit told reporters.
"It's (important) just to be a little careful about where he is at and what he is to us. Even when he was batting, he was not running comfortably.
"He was trying to put the ball in the stands. He has had a lot of minor surgeries ... and went through a lot of trauma in the last 1-1/2 years."
Pant has been a vital part of India's team since returning to international cricket earlier this year and will be relied upon when they head to Australia for five tests after matches against New Zealand in Pune and Mumbai.
Rohit said they erred on the side of caution by keeping Pant in the locker room for New Zealand's second innings.
"When you're keeping, you have to bend every ball with your knee going down we thought it is the right thing to do for him to stay in and get 100% ready for the next one," he added.
India added bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar to their squad before the second test beginning on Thursday.
"He's had a massive operation on his leg, we all know what he went through," Rohit told reporters.
"It's (important) just to be a little careful about where he is at and what he is to us. Even when he was batting, he was not running comfortably.
"He was trying to put the ball in the stands. He has had a lot of minor surgeries ... and went through a lot of trauma in the last 1-1/2 years."
Pant has been a vital part of India's team since returning to international cricket earlier this year and will be relied upon when they head to Australia for five tests after matches against New Zealand in Pune and Mumbai.
Rohit said they erred on the side of caution by keeping Pant in the locker room for New Zealand's second innings.
"When you're keeping, you have to bend every ball with your knee going down we thought it is the right thing to do for him to stay in and get 100% ready for the next one," he added.
India added bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar to their squad before the second test beginning on Thursday.
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