Rishabh Pant Back To Keeping Wickets, Anshul Kamboj Bats And Bowls Before 4th Test
Akash Deep, nursing a groin injury, did not bowl in India's training session ahead of the fourth Test. Rishabh Pant appeared fit to play.
Soon after gently rolling his arm over in the field of play, Akash Deep cut a forlorn figure as uncapped Anshul Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna bowled at full tilt during India's first outdoor training session ahead of the fourth Test.
Akash Deep, nursing a groin injury since the Lord's Test, did not receive the green light from the team physio to bowl in the nets after undergoing a fitness evaluation in the middle under the watchful eyes of coach Morne Morkel.
Minutes later, he stood as a spectator during the net session alongside Arshdeep Singh, who has been ruled out of the game due to a hand injury.
If Akash Deep is also deemed unfit, the team management will need to choose between Prasidh Krishna or Anshul Kamboj for the third pacer's slot alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
Kamboj, who joined the team over the weekend as cover for the injured Arshdeep, was added to the main squad on Monday, raising the possibility of a surprise debut.
The pacer from Haryana bowled for close to an hour in the nets with high intensity alongside Siraj, Bumrah, Prasidh, and Shardul Thakur.
Kamboj also padded up for a brief batting session alongside Thakur, who could directly replace injured all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Siraj bowled with the highest intensity against the likes of Shubman Gill, K L Rahul, and Rishabh Pant, while Bumrah moved to the field of play for more bowling after finding the practice surface slippery.
Rishabh Pant bats and keeps pain-free
All eyes were also on Rishabh Pant, who had not kept wickets at Lord's after injuring his fingers on the opening day of the second Test. While batting on day five, Pant grimaced every time he defended against a seriously quick Jofra Archer.
Considering he performed keeping drills and batted pain-free for an hour, Pant appears fit enough to start the fourth Test. Pant is always up for some banter, even with his teammates, as was evident when he shared the nets with skipper Shubman Gill.
There was no apparent discomfort while batting against Mohammed Siraj, Kamboj, and Krishna.
There is also speculation over Karun Nair's slot in the playing eleven, but he batted with plenty of purpose. Sai Sudharsan, who could replace Nair in the playing eleven, was also seen taking catching practice in the slip cordon.
With Nitish Reddy on his way back to India, Yashasvi Jaiswal was back doing catching drills in the slip cordon.
(With PTI Inputs)
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First Published:
July 21, 2025, 22:23 IST
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