Rishabh Pant [Source: AFP]The Indian cricket team is scheduled to tour New Zealand for a two-match Test series next month. The series holds significant importance for Team India in the context of the ongoing 2025–27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.In a bid to prepare for the series, Test regular and senior wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has reportedly made a special request to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).Rishabh Pant makes special request for Test preparationAs reported by Rohit Juglan from Revsportz, Rishabh Pant has made a special request to the BCCI to prepare himself before India’s all-important Test tour of New Zealand.The cricketer has asked the Indian board to allow him to play a couple of India A matches in New Zealand. It is worth noting that the India A team is scheduled to face New Zealand A in New Zealand in a series of three multi-day matches between October 24 and November 10.Also Read- Rishabh Pant Reveals Tactics That Helped Rest Of India Win Irani Cup 2026Meanwhile, the Test series is scheduled to commence from November 19 onwards in Wellington next month, i.e., roughly nine days after the conclusion of the India A vs New Zealand A series in Lincoln. Since Rishabh Pant will likely be excluded from India’s ODI and T20I squads as part of his repeated white-ball snub, the senior wicketkeeper-batter will be available to play at least a couple of India A fixtures, if not the entire series. How has Rishabh Pant fared in Test matches in New Zealand?One can empathize with the request of Rishabh Pant, considering the cricketer holds an average of just 15 in Test matches in New Zealand.While Pant holds an overall Test career average of 43.82 with a strike rate of nearly 75, the attacking left-handed batter has aggregated just 60 runs in four innings spanning two Tests in New Zealand, both during the year 2020. One of the seniormost members of the current Indian Test side and the backbone of his team’s middle order, it is imperative for the 29-year-old to find his rhythm in challenging overseas conditions. A couple of India A games in New Zealand could provide Pant with valuable match practice and an opportunity to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the crucial Test series.Also Read- India Fined More Than West Indies As ICC Announces Punishment After ODI Series
