Who Will Replace Injured Rishabh Pant in India’s Playing XI for 5th Test?

What happened to Rishabh Pant?

Just like the previous three matches, Rishabh Pant was going great once again when the team needed him. Pant walked in when the Indian team was 3 wickets down for 140 runs. From there, the wicketkeeper batter was forming a strong partnership with Sai Sudharsan.

The duo added 72 runs off 112 balls before Pant was struck on his toe in the 68th over by Chris Woakes while trying to play one of his traditional reverse sweep shots. However, he missed the ball and it hit his toe. 

Despite all his attempts to continue, he eventually had to be stretchered off the field. He managed to accumulate 37 runs from 48 balls before being forced to retire out. He was taken straightaway to a nearby hospital for checkups. 

Recent reports indicate that Rishabh Pant will be unavailable for at least six weeks due to injury. This is going to be a major blow for the Indian team, who are currently trailing in the five-match series 2-1 after the first three matches of the series. Let's take a look at potential replacements.

Rishabh Pant Potential Replacement in the Squad

With Rishabh Pant now injured, the question is who will replace the wicketkeeper batter in the Team India squad.

According to reports this morning, wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan may be included in the squad as a replacement for the upcoming match at The Oval in London.

The 27-years-old Jharkhand batter Ishan Kishan has played 2 Test matches thus far against West Indies back in 2023. He has scored 78 runs in those matches so far. Ishan is a similar type of player to Pant, who likes to play aggressive cricket in the middle-order.

He has been playing in the County Championship this season for Nottinghamshire and scored 164 runs in 2 innings with a strike rate of 72.57. He is thought of as the most likely replacement for Pant. But he is still untested and amateur.

Who will replace Rishabh Pant in the playing XI?

Rishabh Pant will not only miss the 5th Test in London, but he will also not take any further part in the fourth Test in Manchester. So the question arises, who replaces him in the 4th Test, and what about the 5th Test?

Team India currently has two wicketkeeper options in the squad already, KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel. Jurel is most likely to take the gloves in the 4th Test Team India as they will want to keep KL Rahul fresh for the 2nd inning and don’t want to add the extra burden of wicketkeeping on his shoulder.

Dhruv Jurel has previously played 4 Test matches for Team India when Pant was injured after a car accident. He has proved himself in those opportunities, which is why he is part of the senior team as the reserve keeper-batter.

Even though Jurel is set to hold the gloves, according to ICC rules, he won't be able to bat for Team India in the 2nd inning unless it was a concussion substitution. That means Team India will be one batter short in the 2nd inning.

As for the 5th Test match at The Oval in London, with the likely addition of Ishan Kishan in the squad, Team India will get the luxury of picking from two options.

Ishan Kishan is a like-for-like replacement for Rishabh Pant, whereas Dhruv Jurel is a different kind of batter, but most importantly, he has proven that he can be an important part of the middle-order. With Team India hoping to solidify their middle-order, Dhruv Jurel seems the preferred option. 

When it comes to Ishan Kishan, the question revolves around whether India is ready to trust him, given his relative inexperience and the difficult task of replacing Rishabh Pant, which is no small feat.

Impact of Rishabh Pant’s injury

Rishabh Pant's injury is a major blow for the Indian cricket team in this England vs India Test series. Not only will Team India be missing out on his runs, but they will also miss his wicketkeeping skills as well as his presence on the ground.

Middle-order void

With Rishabh Pant now out of action for the remaining four days of the 4th Test at Emirates Old Trafford and the 5th Test in London, Team India might face a big issue with their middle-order.

Team India has already dropped Karun Nair from the playing XI for his inconsistent performance in this series so far. Meanwhile, captain Shubman Gill has been struggling since the last match. Pant was probably the best Indian batter in the middle-order with a load of experience of playing in the position.

Without Rishabh Pant, there will be now huge pressure on the shoulders of captain Shubman Gill to stabilize the middle-order.

Wicketkeeping dilemma

Another big issue the Indian cricket team will be facing without Rishabh Pant is the wicketkeeping position. Pant has been a regular Indian wicketkeeper behind the stumps for Team India after Wriddhiman Saha.

Pant is an excellent wicketkeeper behind the stumps. His reflexes behind the stumps, the sharp catches have complemented the Indian bowlers quite well. Team India has Dhruv Jurel and KL Rahul as the wicketkeeper options in the squad already. Now the question is who will take the gloves. Will they back Dhruv Jurel or ask Rahul to take the gloves again?

A major hope for series win gone

Another massive issue for the Indian cricket team is that Rishabh Pant was playing a key role for the side in this series. He has already scored 462 runs in 7 innings, including a twin century in the first Test in Leeds.

Pant has been one of the Indian cricket team’s best Test batsmen in recent years. With Team India 2-1 down in the five-match series, Pant was set to play a key role for the side to help them to make it 2-2 in Manchester and eventually play a big role to help Team India win the series at The Oval in London. But without Pant, this is now getting a lot tougher for the Shubman Gill-led side.

This will also have a major impact on the Indian cricket team's World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 campaign. Team India has only accumulated 12 points so far from one win and sits at 4th place in the points table. There are still two matches to go and 24 points up for grabs that would help Team India significantly improve their position in the WTC points table. But without Rishabh Pant, this could have a major impact.

Rishabh Pant stats in India tour of England 2025

Despite all the criticism he gets from the fans for his performance in the ODIs and T20Is, Rishabh Pant has undoubtedly been one of India’s best Test batsmen since he made his debut. He has scored 3373 runs in 46 Test matches for Team India.

He was playing a pivotal role for the Indian cricket team in the ongoing Test series against England as well.

The 27-years-old wicketkeeper has already scored 462 runs in 7 innings in the ongoing Test series with a strike rate of 77.91 and a batting average of 78.31. During this series, he scored a twin century (a century in both innings) in the 1st Test match at Headingley in Leeds. 

Pant scored 134 runs off 178 balls in the 1st innings of the 1st Test and then followed it up with another century as he scored 118 runs off 140 balls in the 2nd innings of the 1st Test. He also scored a half-century in the 2nd inning of the 2nd Test and the 1st innings of the 3rd Test match in Birmingham and London, respectively.

England vs India Test Series in Brief

The England vs India five-match Test series is part of their new campaign in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 edition.

The five matches are scheduled to be played at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's in London, Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester, and Kennington Oval in London. The series lasts over a month from 20 June to 4 August.

It was the hosts, England, who won the 1st Test in Leeds by 5 wickets. Team India scored 471 runs while batting first to and England scored 465 runs. Team India then scored 364 runs, setting a target of 371 runs for England, which they chased on the final day.

Then the Indian team leveled the series 1-1 with a massive win in Birmingham. Team India scored 587 runs with a double century from captain Shubman Gill. England then scored 407 runs, to which Team India scored 427 runs in their 2nd inning to set a target of 608 runs for England. However, England could score only 271 as India won by 336 runs.

But England took the lead once again with a thrilling 22-run win. Both sides scored 387 runs in the 1st inning, and then India bowled out England for 192 runs in the 2nd innings. Chasing a target of 193 runs, Team India were all-out for 170 runs as England won by 22 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series.