Bumrah is set to play India A’s last four-day game in Lincoln, and Pant could join him if he is cleared to keep
Both Test regulars are training in Bengaluru, and the 7-10 November match is the last red-ball game India A play before the first Test at the Basin Reserve.
Oct 27, 2026
Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant are expected to get one red-ball game in New Zealand before the Test series starts. According to ESPNcricinfo, both are in line to play for India A in the third four-day match against New Zealand A, from 7 to 10 November in Lincoln.
Bumrah is the more certain of the two. Pant’s place depends on a fitness clearance from the BCCI’s medical staff.
Why this game matters
The timing is tight. India’s first Test is at the Basin Reserve in Wellington from 19 to 23 November, and the second is at Hagley Oval in Christchurch from 27 November to 1 December. Bumrah is due to fly to New Zealand on 1 November, which means he misses India A’s second game in Christchurch, from 31 October to 3 November, and lands in time for the third.
That leaves the Lincoln match as his only proper preparation for the Tests. Bumrah has not played since the Asian Games in Japan, where India beat Pakistan in the final on 3 October to win gold. The selectors then rested him for the white-ball series against West Indies at home and left him out of the T20Is and ODIs in New Zealand. He was named for the Tests only.
He is at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru now, having arrived on Monday to complete the return-to-play process every player has to go through before a series.
Pant is batting but not keeping yet
Pant reached the Centre of Excellence on Friday. He hurt his left side while captaining Rest of India in the Irani Cup against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar at the start of October, and the strain has kept him out ever since. He missed Delhi’s first Ranji Trophy match and India A’s first two four-day games in New Zealand.
He has started light training, including batting drills, but has not done any wicketkeeping. That is the part to watch. Pant was named in the Test squad subject to fitness, and the Lincoln game is the obvious place to show he can keep for a full day.
Kumar Kushagra has been the keeper in his place. The Jharkhand player was picked for India A’s first two matches, and he has also been with the T20I squad as cover for Ishan Kishan, who has an adductor strain.
How the first game went
The A side will not mind the reinforcements. India A were bowled out for 113 on the first day of the first match in Lincoln, then fought back with 516 in their second innings, with Devdutt Padikkal making 199, to set New Zealand A 313 to win.
For India, though, the point of the third game is simple. If Bumrah gets through four days and Pant keeps wicket without trouble, India’s two biggest selection questions for Wellington will have answered themselves. If either one breaks down, they will have learned it with nine days to spare rather than on the morning of the Test.