Rishabh Pant suffered a right toe injury on Day 1 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. The wicketkeeper-batter tried to reverse sweep a delivery from Chris Woakes in the final session and got hit on his right foot. The 27-year-old will not be able to keep wickets in the fourth Test, but will play as a specialist batter. Dhruv Jurel will take up the wicketkeeping gloves.
As per reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is searching for a suitable replacement for Pant in the fifth Test, which will be held at The Oval in London. Earlier reports suggested that Ishan Kishan was in line to come into the side. However, the Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter has reportedly an ankle injury and has 10 stitches on his left foot after he fell off a scooty.
Now, a latest report from Cricbuzz says that Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper N Jagadeesan is in line to come in as Pant’s replacement.
Is Jagadeesan any good in First-Class?
Jagadeesan, 29, has played 52 first-class matches so far. He has 3373 runs under his belt, with an average of 47.50 and a strike rate of 62.40. Jagadeesan has 14 fifties and 10 centuries under his belt. He has also taken 133 catches and effected 14 stumpings.
Jagadeesan has a highest first-class score of 321, which he made against Chandigarh in Coimbatore off just 403 deliveries in the 2024-2025 Ranji Trophy. He also has an individual best of 277 in List A cricket. This is the highest individual score by a batter in List A history.
Why Jagadeesan? Why not Sanju Samson?
Jagadeesan is yet to make his international debut. On the other hand, Sanju Samson has played 16 ODIs and 42 T20Is for India. Some fans have been wondering whether the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter could have been given his maiden red-ball call-up to the national team.
Samson has a first-class average of a shade below 40. Jagadeesan, meanwhile, had a stellar Ranji Trophy 2024-25 campaign, scoring 674 runs from eight matches at an average of 56.16.
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