N. Jagadeesan Poised to Replace Injured Rishabh Pant in Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

N Jagadeesan is expected to step in for Rishabh Pant, who has been sidelined with an injury, for the remainder of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. The Tamil Nadu's right-handed wicket-keeper batter is highly favored to join the squad, with an official announcement anticipated shortly.

Jagadeesan could come in for Pant. © BCCI/IPL

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), along with national selectors and the team management, have been searching for a suitable replacement for Pant. Pant suffered a fracture in his right toe while batting on the first day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, ruling him out of the series.

Ultimately, the selection committee has zeroed in on Jagadeesan, aged 29. He is likely to be included in the squad before the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Initially, Ishan Kishan was considered as a potential replacement, but the 27-year-old Jharkhand wicket-keeper is reportedly unavailable.

Jagadeesan's selection is largely due to his exceptional performance in domestic cricket, especially in the red-ball format. He boasts a record of 3373 runs in 52 first-class matches, maintaining a healthy average of 47.50, including 14 half-centuries and 10 centuries.

During the most recent Ranji season, Jagadeesan amassed 674 runs in eight matches, averaging an impressive 56.16. This tally included two centuries and five half-centuries, making him the highest run-scorer for his state in the competition. Among wicket-keepers, he ranked second in aggregate runs, only behind Vidarbha's Akshay Wadkar, who scored 722 runs in 10 matches at an average of 45.12.

Ideally, selectors would have preferred a wicket-keeper from the A tour that preceded the senior series. However, with limited options – Kishan being injured and Dhruv Jurel already in the senior squad – they needed to explore alternative choices.

Another option available to the selectors was KS Bharat, another wicket-keeper batter currently playing for Dulwich CC in England. Despite having played a Test in England previously, he was not considered for the role.

Dhruv Jurel will continue to keep wickets in the ongoing Old Trafford Test. India also has the option of utilizing KL Rahul, who has experience keeping wickets in international games, including the World Cup and Champions Trophy.