Rishabh Pant set to miss Australia series, three-way race between Bharat, Upendra and Kishan
New Delhi(PTI): The extent of Rishabh Pant's ligament tear, after his horrific car accident, is yet to be ascertained but if BCCI sources are to be believed, he is set to miss the upcoming four-Test series against Australia.
Pant's absence from competitive cricket could be a prolonged one and it will be premature to even zero in on a date at this point in time, and hence, one of the biggest challenges for the new selection committee will be to select the two keeper-batters for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The Indian Test wicketkeeper's slot is now suddenly up for grabs and it could be an interesting three-horse race between Pant's current understudy Kona Bharat, India A's second keeper Upendra Yadav and white-ball specialist, Ishan Kishan, when the Test series starts in Nagpur from February 9.
The 25-year-old lost control of his Mercedes car while driving from Delhi to Rourkee on Friday morning and hit the divider near Mohammadpur Jat in Manglaur area. He was first rushed to a local medical facility but is now being treated at Max Dehradun for multiple injuries.
While X-Ray and CT scan reports have ruled out any fractural, brain or spinal injuries, the multiple ligament tear in his knee and ankle will certainly keep him out for an extensive period. It could be anything between two to six months depending upon the grade of the ligament tear.
"He has extensive swelling so MRI of ankle and knee is yet to be conducted. Once he is fit enough to travel, he will come to Mumbai where he will be under the board's empanelled doctor Dinshaw Pardiwala," a BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
The new selection committee will have effectively three choices. The two India A keepers Bharat and Upendra straightaway make it to the main squad or a dashing left-hander like Kishan could make the cut.
In the case of Sanju Samson and Kishan, both didn't keep in Ranji Trophy for Kerala and Jharkhand respectively.
Technically, Bharat being the second keeper of the Test side could make his debut in Nagpur but, as a package, Upendra is far better. He is a good keeper and a clean hitter with an average of 45 plus.
However, in the case of Pant, there is an X-factor which Bharat or Upendra, despite being good performers, don't possess.
Ishan or Sanju are better choices having already handled pressures of international cricket, but both will now regret handing over the big gloves to Kumar Kushagra and Ponnan Rahul, respectively.
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Trump says he called off dispatching envoys to Iran talks
Dubai (PTI): US President Donald Trump said he told his top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, stating on Fox News that "they can call us any time they want”.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won't negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports. Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade,” to allow a new round of negotiations, according to the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies in Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Pakistan on Saturday evening, two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Araghchi is expected back in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday.
Trump said Thursday that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House. The meeting was the second high-level negotiation between the two countries this month. The initial 10-day ceasefire had been due to expire Monday.
The Trump administration is placing economic sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil.
The move announced Friday is part of the administration's threat to impose secondary sanctions on entities doing business with Iran in an effort to cut off Iran's oil exports, which are a key source of its revenue.
Airlines worldwide have begun cancelling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel supplies and pushes up prices. Experts have offered information to travelers about what to do if a flight is cancelled.
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won't negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports, according to Iranian media.
Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade”, to allow a new round of negotiations, the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies reported.
The Pakistani premier described the call as a “warm and constructive discussion”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi concluded a one-day trip to Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Saturday after meeting with Pakistani military and government officials.
The trip did not produce a breakthrough in efforts to relaunch negotiations after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by his envoys to Islamabad.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will return to Pakistan after his current visit to Oman on his way to visiting Russia.
The report said he was expected to be back in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday and would join other members of his delegation who had gone to Tehran for consultations and “instructions on the topics related to the end of the war.”
