Star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant suffered a foot injury while playing a reverse sweep shot against Chris Woakes on Day 1 of the fourth India-England Test at Old Trafford in Manchester on July
23. Due to that injury, Pant was ruled out of the fifth Test at The Oval and was also not available for selection in the Asia Cup 2025 squad. In Pant’s absence, Indian selectors picked Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma in the 15-member squad for the eight-team tournament starting September 9 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Pant, who is India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the five-day format of the game, after missing the 2025 Asia Cup due to injury, is now aiming to make a comeback during the two-match Test series against the West Indies.
The Indian men’s cricket team will face the West Indies in two Tests next month. The series opener is scheduled to take place at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad from October 2 to 6, and Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium will host the second Test from October 10 to 14.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, “Pant is targeting India’s next home series against the West Indies in October for his comeback, and if that does not happen, the white-ball series against Australia in October-November seems a realistic possibility.”
After the conclusion of the two-match series against the West Indies in front of home fans, the Indian team will travel to Australia to take part in a three-match ODI series and a five-match T20I series.
While the ODIs are scheduled to take place in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney on October 19, 23 and 25, respectively, the five T20I matches will be played in Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Gold Coast and Brisbane, respectively.
Pant isn’t India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs and T20Is. He was part of India’s squad for the three-match series against England in February 2025 and also for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 but didn’t get a chance to play any of the eight matches.
In T20Is, Pant last played for Men in Blue against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on July 28, 2024. He missed the next three series against Bangladesh, South Africa and England due to workload management of the Test players.
