Advertisement
Advertisement
MANCHESTER: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named uncapped wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan as the replacement for the injured Rishabh Pant ahead of the fifth Test against England, which is scheduled to be played at The Oval.
The 29-year-old wicket-keeper from Tamil Nadu has received his first call-up to the Indian team and is expected to join the squad in London by Tuesday after obtaining his visa on Sunday morning.
He will serve as a backup to Dhruv Jurel, who has kept wickets in the last two Test matches against England in Pant’s absence.
For the unversed, Rishabh Pant fractured his right foot while batting on the first day of the recently concluded fourth Test at Old Trafford.
Earlier in the series, he also struggled with a finger injury during the third Test, but he continued to bat despite these ongoing issues.
Pant’s injury turned out to be a fortunate opportunity for Jagadeesan, who has consistently performed well in domestic cricket and has long caught the attention of national selectors.
He topped the run charts for Tamil Nadu in consecutive Ranji Trophy seasons, scoring 816 runs at an average of 74.18 in 2023-24, followed by 674 runs at an average of 56.16 in 2024-25.
Since making his first-class debut in 2016, Jagadeesan has accumulated a total of 3,373 runs in 79 innings at an average of 47.50.
His impressive record includes 10 centuries and 14 half-centuries, with a career-best score of 321 against Chandigarh in January 2024.
READ: Haider Ali, Azan Awais help Pakistan Shaheens clinch series over PCC Select XI
