The Indian team management has released wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant to play the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Delhi have qualified for the Super League stage and will be playing next two games on November 24 and 27. As per a report in PTI, Rishabh will be playing all six games against West Indies and the selectors thought that he should get game time ahead of the series.
The youngster has now lost his Test spot to Wriddhiman Saha, who has played all the four matches at home in the ongoing season and is currently doing the wicketkeeping duties in the ongoing pink-ball Test match. Rishabh earlier wasn’t released for any of the matches but now, the management decided to let him get some game time.
They have called up Andhra Pradesh’s wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat, who was also a part of the Duleep Trophy 2016/17, the first time when BCCI organised day-night matches with the pink ball. Andhra Pradesh haven’t qualified for the super league stage of the tournament. Bharat was close to getting selected for the tour of West Indies but with Saha coming back, there was no place for the youngster.
Saha looks set to do the wicketkeeping job at least till the end of ongoing World Test championship. He is now 35 and might go on to play for next two-three years.
Talking of the ongoing pink-ball Test, India had an upper hand at the end of day 1, courtesy combined efforts from the players. Winning the toss, Bangladesh once again decided to bat first and the decision backfired as they lost half of their side on 38. Riding on Ishant Sharma’s five-for, India packed the visitors on 106.
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Bangladesh did remove both the Indian openers for 43 but Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli put up 94 runs for the third wicket to manage the things. At stumps, the home side was 174/3 after 46 overs, holding a lead of 68 runs.
There were two concussion substitutes on day 1 – Liton Das and Nayeem Hasan were replaced by Mehidy Hasan and Taijul Islam.