India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after incurring an injury on Day 1 of the 4th Test against England in Manchester. Pant had to be carried off the ground in a golf cart after sustaining a foot injury while trying to reverse sweep England pacer Chris Woakes. According to NDTV sources, the wicket-keeper batter has been advised to take rest for 6 weeks, meaning he would not be able to feature in the ongoing 4th Test against England or the final match of the series. It has further been learned that Pant has sustained a fracture which would keep him out of action for 6 weeks.
“He is ruled out for the next six weeks. A cover will be called in and it is likely to be Ishan Kishan,” a BCCI source told PTI.
The situation means that Dhruv Jurel would keep wickets in place of Pant for the remainder of the Manchester Test. Jurel, however, will not be able to bat in the ongoing match, leaving Team India a batter short.
Ishan Kishan Likely To Replace Rishabh Pant
For the 5th Test against England at the Kennington Oval, the name of Ishan Kishan is reportedly being suggested as cover for Jurel. The final match of the series will be played from July 31 to August 04.
With the likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh already nursing injuries, the team’s balance has truly been thrown out of proportion.
Ricky Ponting, who worked with Rishabh Pant at the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, had suspected a fracture when the wicket-keeper batter was taken off the ground on Wednesday.
“He (Pant) hardly put his foot on the ground. The immediate swelling was a 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 had said on Sky Sports.
England great Michael Atherton had also suspected end of the series for Pant after the incident on Day 1.
“If he is out of the game…if he’s out of the series, then that’s a massive blow to India and puts the day in a different light. That 264 for four becomes 264 for five, and with that new ball due, there is a potential to knock India over reasonably swiftly tomorrow. But if he returns to bat, he could change the game. So there is an uncertainty which we don’t know. But it looked like a quite serious injury, because you don’t get carted off otherwise,” former England captain and commentator Michael Atherton said.
