India faced an unexpected setback just before the start of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand after Rishabh Pant suffered an injury during practice.
On Saturday afternoon at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, Pant suddenly felt sharp pain on the right side of his body while batting against throwdowns in the nets.
The support staff immediately took him for MRI scans, and after consulting medical experts, the BCCI confirmed that he has a side strain caused by an oblique muscle tear in his right lateral abdominal region. Because of this injury, Pant has been ruled out of the entire ODI series that begins today.
The BCCI Men’s Selection Committee moved quickly to select a replacement, and Dhruv Jurel has been named in Pant’s place. Jurel has already reached Vadodara and joined the squad before the first match.
He has been in outstanding form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he is the captain of Uttar Pradesh and also the team’s top run-scorer with 558 runs in seven matches, including two centuries and four half-centuries. His addition gives India more depth in the wicketkeeping department, where KL Rahul is also available to take the gloves.
The updated Indian squad will now be led by Shubman Gill and includes senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, along with Shreyas Iyer as the vice-captain. Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel complete the lineup.
This combination of youth and experience gives India a strong team as they prepare to take on New Zealand. The first ODI will be played today, January 11, at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara at 1:30 PM IST, followed by the second match on January 14 in Rajkot and the final ODI on January 18 in Indore.
Pant has left the camp and will now travel to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for further medical examination and rehabilitation. This ODI series is India’s first white-ball assignment of 2026 as they look ahead to an important year featuring the T20 World Cup and the IPL. Fans are hopeful that Dhruv Jurel will make good use of this opportunity and help India deliver strong performances against New Zealand.