Rishabh Pant Could Return In Ranji’s Second Round, Sets Sights on Test Comeback. Rishabh Pant is likely to make his return to competitive cricket in the second round of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, starting on October 25, marking the first significant step toward returning to Test cricket. The Delhi wicketkeeper-batter has been recovering from a right foot fracture sustained during the England Test series early this year and is overall fit.
Pant has been undergoing intensive rehab sessions at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for the last few weeks, and he has started batting and wicketkeeping practice. The 27-year-old has a final fitness test at the end of the week to determine whether he will be fit enough for the city’s Ranji campaign. Provided the injury has been cleared, Pant should captain Delhi in the domestic red-ball tournament, which will be the next step toward national selection.
DDCA confident about Pant’s availability
According to sources within the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), Pant has already mentioned that he is ready to play from the second round onward. However, the BCCI medical team needs to clear him before he returns to the domestic circuit. Pant’s return to the longer format through the Ranji Trophy supports the selectors’ approach to reintegrating him slowly into the setup, providing him sufficient time to achieve match fitness ahead of India’s continuing Test series against South Africa later in November.
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Having last played a Test match in July, he has been an influential absentee from the Indian setup. If Pant returns to the Test squad, it would be a significant boost to India, given his ability to change a match with the bat and gloves. Currently, young keepers like Dhruv Jurel and Narayan Jagadeesan are in the mix, but all eyes will be on Pant’s individual performances in the Ranji Trophy as he tries to earn a place back into the Indian Test XI.
