Yashasvi Jaiswal sparked an injury concern for India on Day 3 of the first Test against New Zealand after taking a sharp catch at gully to dismiss Daryl Mitchell. The incident occurred during the final delivery of the 55th over, when Mohammed Siraj's length delivery found the outside edge of Mitchell's bat. Jaiswal made a quick catch but was immediately seen shaking his fingers in pain. Captain Rohit Sharma checked on him, but Jaiswal soon left the field for medical attention, with Axar Patel replacing him. Sarfaraz Khan took Jaiswal's place in the slip cordon.
This marked India's second injury issue in the match. Earlier, Rishabh Pant had hurt his knee while wicket keeping on Day 1. After receiving attention from the physio, Pant was substituted by Dhruv Jurel. The injury was particularly concerning as Pant had previously undergone knee surgery in 2023 following a car accident. Rohit Sharma addressed the media, explaining that Pant's knee was swollen, and the team was taking precautionary measures.
The BCCI later confirmed that Pant did not take the field on Day 3, with his progress being closely monitored by the medical team. India's struggles were compounded by these injuries, as they were bowled out for just 46 in their first innings, their lowest score at home and third-lowest overall.