Agarkar, Gambhir in four-way selection battle as Rishabh Pant eyes Test return against Bangladesh

BCCI's chief selector Ajit Agarkar has indicated that Rishabh Pant's return to international cricket will be a gradual process, as he looks to ease him into each of the formats. Pant recently made a comeback to competitive action in March after a 15-month absence due to a car accident in December 2022. Despite the time off, Pant's performances in the IPL 2024 earned him a spot in India's victorious T20 World Cup squad. He then returned to the ODI team during the recent tour of Sri Lanka. Now, Pant is gearing up to make his comeback in Test cricket.

The wicketkeeper-batter last played the traditional format in December 2022, against Bangladesh in Mirpur. A week later, his car met with an accident on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal while returning home from Delhi. He spent the better part of 2023 recovering from injuries, before being spotted at the NCA playing practice matches. He eventually returned to competitive cricket for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024.

His impressive show with the bat saw selectors trust him with keeping duties for the T20 World Cup, where he played a key role as a No. 3 batter, before he was eased into the ODIs earlier this month. He played just one match against Sri Lanka, in the third ODI, scoring a nine-ball six in a losing cause.

With India's next campaign being a two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home next month, Agarkar and his committee are set to name players for the Duleep Trophy, which will be played between September 5 and 24. The likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, along with other India regulars, are expected to be part of the domestic tournament to prepare for the long Test schedule ahead - which also includes three Tests against New Zealand at home in October and the tour of Australia in December.

According to a report by the news agency PTI, selectors are deciding to give Pant an opportunity in the Duleep Trophy, which could him perfect exposure in the red-ball format, before the committee sits down to chalk out India's squad for the Bangladesh series.

Pant to enter a four-way battle for Test return

During Pant's time away from Test cricket, BCCI gave KS Bharat a go, but he failed to impress, before moving on to Ishan Kishan. The left-hander produced a decent show in his debut series against West Indies last summer and was in line to serve as the first-choice keeper for the all-important tour of South Africa. However, he pulled out of the series, citing a mental health break as the management picked KL Rahul as a stop-gap option.

The selectors retained Rahul as a keeping option for the home series against England earlier this year, but Bharat was given a final opportunity. With the latter failing to meet the expectations yet again, Dhruv Jurel was handed his international debut, and the youngster came out with flying colours.

With Jurel, Ishan and Rahul also slated to be called up for the Duleep Trophy, Pant will incur a four-way battle and so will Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir in picking the final line-up for the Bangladesh series, where they could only accommodate two keepers.

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