Uncapped Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter Narayan Jagadeesan has earned his maiden India call-up as a replacement for Rishabh Pant, who has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval due to a fracture in his right foot sustained during the fourth Test in Manchester.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the development on Monday.
Despite suffering the injury, Pant batted in the first innings and was prepared to bat again in the second. However, a toe fracture prevented him from keeping wickets and ultimately ruled him out of the series finale.
According to the BCCI’s official media release, the medical team will continue to monitor Pant’s recovery.
“The Men’s Selection Committee has named Narayan Jagadeesan as replacement for Rishabh Pant for the fifth Test, which begins on July 31, 2025, at Kennington Oval, London,” the release stated.
The 27-year-old keeper batter has a pretty solid domestic record, having played 52 first-class matches and scoring 3,373 runs at an average of 47.50, including 10 centuries and 14 fifties. Although yet to feature for India or even India A, he has been on the BCCI’s radar as part of its targeted players list in recent years.
Jurel likely to keep wickets at the Oval
Ishan Kishan was reportedly considered for the role but was ruled out due to a minor niggle, paving the way for Jagadeesan’s inclusion.
Dhruv Jurel, who kept wickets in the Manchester Test and Lord’s Test is likely to replace Pant. Jagadeesan is unlikely to make his debut at the Oval.
India’s Updated Squad for the Fifth Test:
Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, N Jagadeesan (WK).
For More Sports Related News: Follow RevSportz