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Rishabh Pant has now sustained injuries twice in as many Tests on the ongoing tour of England.
Rishabh Pant suffered a finger injury at Lord’s (left) before hurting his foot in Manchester. (AP Photo)
Rishabh Pant’s England tour began with a bang and a somersault. He peeled off twin centuries in the series opener in Leeds and celebrated the first of them in his own inimitable style. However, his tour could end in pain with the star India wicketkeeper-batter copping a nasty blow to his right foot on the opening day of the Manchester Test against England.
How Was Rishabh Pant Injured?
Pant was batting on 37 when he decided to reverse-sweep the 4th delivery of the 68th over of Indian innings, bowled by right-arm pacer Chris Woakes. He only managed an inside edge, and the ball landed flush on his right boot. Woakes and company appealed for an LBW which was turned down even as Pant took off his gloves and began hobbling.
England went for DRS but lost the review as replay confirmed the inside edge.
Meanwhile, the Indian team physio was summoned to the middle and Pant was in unbearable pain with his foot swollen. The worrying part though was him not being able to keep his foot on the ground.
Rishabh Pant Wheeled Off
The 27-year-old was then driven off the field in a golf-style buggy, still in agony. He was taken to a medical facility at the ground with India Test captain Shubman Gill checking on him. BCCI later announced that the vice-captain has been taken to a hospital for scans.
Will Pant Be Ruled Out Of The Remainder of Tour?
While an update on the extent is his injury will be available on Thursday, Australia legend Ricky Ponting feels that the “immediate swelling” and Pant not being able to put any load on his foot are signs that it could be a serious concern.
“He (Pant) hardly put his foot on the ground. The immediate swelling was the worry for me. I’ve had a metatarsal injury myself, and they’re small, fragile bones. The fact he couldn’t put any weight on it, it doesn’t look good at all,” Ponting said on Sky Sports.
England allrounder Liam Dawson isn’t sure if Pant will be able to take the field again in the 4th Test. “The injury didn’t look great. Hope he’s alright. A very good player but can’t see him taking much part in the rest of the game,” Dawson said.
Pant’s Tryst With Injuries
This is not the first time that Pant has hurt himself on the ongoing England tour. During England’s first innings in the third Test at Lord’s, he hurt his finger while collecting a ball from Jasprit Bumrah. The impact rendered him unfit to keep the wickets with Dhruv Jurel replacing him for the duties. However, Pant did bat in both the innings.
There were doubts over his participation in the 4th Test, but he was later cleared fit. The latest blow doesn’t appear to be a minor one.
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
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