3 reasons why India need not worry despite Rishabh Pant's absence for IND vs WI 2025 Tests

Team India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant is likely to miss the upcoming Test series against the West Indies on home soil due to the fracture he sustained during the tour of England. The two-match Test series against the Men in Maroon, is scheduled to begin from October 2 onwards.

According to a report by ESPN Cricinfo, Pant is currently in rehab at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, and there is no set timeline regarding his complete recovery and return to competitive cricket. On the other hand, the selection committee are set to convene soon to finalise the squad for the series that will officially kickstart the home season.

On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why India need not worry despite Rishabh Pant's absence for IND vs WI 2025 Tests.

#1 India are much better equipped to deal with such a scenario this time around

Ever since Rishabh Pant took over the wicket-keeping duties from Wriddhiman Saha, the team have not had to concern themselves in that particular department. However, the southpaw's accident in late-2022 forced the management to take measures for which they, and the candidates, were quite unprepared.

In that instance, India had Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat in the wicket-keeping pool, and the entire exercise was a disaster, since neither could step up to nullify Rishabh Pant's prolonged absence. Their shortcomings prompted India to seek another candidate in Dhruv Jurel, who is still with the side.

With history repeating itself, albeit on a short-term basis this time, Team India now have bankable options to replace Rishabh Pant, and are not blindsided as they were in the past. The wicket-keeping pool has grown in quality and quantity in the last couple of years.

#2 Jurel has grown with experience while Jagadeesan is in brilliant touch

In the absence of Rishabh Pant, fellow wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel becomes the automatic first-choice wicket-keeper, as was the case during the closing stages of the England tour. The Uttar Pradesh glovesman has shown ability with both gloves and bat to be deemed as a worthy deputy, who can step up to cover for his senior candidate.

Apart from reputation and credibility, Jurel also has runs under his belt from recent matches, which adds to his case regarding his ability to be the first-choice wicket-keeper for the time being. He scored three fifties in four innings for India 'A' against the England Lions, and recently slammed 140 against Australia 'A' in the first unofficial Test in Lucknow.

N Jagadeesan emerged as a surprising candidate as the backup for India in England after Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the final Test at The Oval. In hindsight, it is not as surprising as it seems. The Tamil Nadu batter has been the team's leading run-scorer in each of the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, amassing 1490 runs in 17 matches.

His recent form would make his inclusion as a backup for the home season even more justified as he scored 197 and 52* for South Zone against North Zone in the Duleep Trophy, along with 64 in the first unofficial Test against Australia 'A'. Although Jagadeesan is more suited to the top of the order, where India have no vacancy at present, he is a lucrative option to have as a backup, attesting to India's strength in the wicket-keeping department, even without Pant.

#3 India have more than enough options in the middle-order to cover for Pant - the batter

Aside from wicket-keeping, it is to be noted that Rishabh Pant is one of the best red-ball batters India have in their setup, especially at home. In the recent past, the Men in Blue's ability to tackle spin on challenging subcontinent surfaces has been questionable to say the least.

With India tackling their first challenge on home soil since the departure of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the team would have ideally liked Rishabh Pant to be part of the team in transition. Although buoyed by an overachieving result in England, it imply a well-settled team.

Luckily for India, even without Pant in the equation, there is room to produce a strong middle order, with options aplenty. Shubman Gill moving to No.4 automatically strengthens the middle order, and with options like Karun Nair, Devdutt Padikkal, Shreyas Iyer, and Sarfaraz Khan in the fray for the No.5 spot, followed by Dhruv Jurel and a dominant lower middle-order rife with all-rounders, India need not worry about Pant's absence compromising the batting strength.