Pant heads to BCCI's Centre of Excellence to restart training

Rishabh Pant, who hasn't played any cricket or even trained since the Old Trafford Test match against England where he fractured his right foot, is headed to the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to resume his training. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Pant's foot is not in a cast anymore and he has been walking comfortably.

Pant is India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in Test cricket, and India's next World Test Championship assignment is at home against West Indies in a two-Test series next month (in Ahmedabad, Oct 2-6 and in Delhi, Oct 10-14). The selection for that series is expected in the last week of September.

After Pant was injured at Old Trafford, in what was the fourth Test in England, Dhruv Jurel kept wicket both in that game and at The Oval in the final game, and N Jagadeesan was flown in as back-up. In case Pant doesn't regain full fitness in time for the Tests against West Indies, Jurel and Jagadeesan could be the frontrunners to be the wicketkeepers in the squad.

Pant picked up the injury on the first day of that Old Trafford Test when he attempted a typically audacious reverse sweep off quick bowler Chris Woakes, inside-edging the ball on to his foot. He retired hurt, the fracture was confirmed not long after, and came out to bat the next day despite having arrived at the ground in the morning wearing a moonboot. He went on to add valuable runs, ending with 54 (he had retired hurt when on 37).

Jurel kept wicket in both England innings in the game, and while Pant was available to bat if needed in India's second, he wasn't required to as Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar - the last two ordinarily below Pant in the batting order - scored centuries to save the Test, which kept the series 2-1 in England's favour. India went on to win the final Test without Pant to square the series 2-2.