The India wicketkeeper suffers a serious injury to his right foot and is taken off the field in an ambulance as team management fears the worst.
Manchester, England: It happened at the Old Trafford when Rishabh Pant got injured on the first day of the 4th test match and was carted out by a medical ambulance, apparently with a severe foot injury. The India wicketkeeper can also be heard crying in pain after being hit in the right foot by the ball in the 68th over of the India innings.
The news of Pant’s injury has jolted the cricket fraternity, with India almost in need of their star wicket-batsman to come to their rescue in such a series-deciding test. The leftie was feeling comfortable at the crease, but then the calamity happened. Since India was already struggling to win in the series (having already lost by 2-1), then this injury might turn out to be the sucker punch to their hopes of drawing level in the series.
The terrible affair occurred as Pant, in his trademark reverse pull, tried to target Chris Woakes in over number 68. The ball was rounder and slower than I thought. Pant failed to connect with the shot, and the ball broke right into his right foot with great impact. The consequences of this were so drastic that visible swellings were observed.
The management of the Indian team sat and stared in agony as their star player lay down wriggling in pain on the pitch. The physio of the team, Nitin Patel, ran out in a few seconds. Having watched Pant for a few minutes, it was also evident that she could not walk. The medical staff was forced to order the ambulance car in order to take him out of the field.
People are already buzzing with how severe this Pant injury can be. On his foot blood was visible. There was a swelling that was increasing with each minute. This follows Pant, who was already fighting a finger injury, making a comeback in the previous Test at Lord. Seemingly, a mixture of the two injuries has made Indian fans very concerned about the condition of their favorite player.
Pant’s Injury Timeline and Impact on India
Pant had scored a vital partnership of 72 runs with Sai Sudharsan prior to his injury, coming to the rescue of India after they got into early disarray. The alliance was becoming too threatening to England until the infliction. Pant had to be taken off, and Ravindra Jadeja appeared as his replacement at the crease straightaway.
Team India could not be so unlucky with the timing of this injury. They are already 2-1 behind in the series and have to win this test in order to continue being in the series race. The absence of Pant will be felt behind stumps and when he is holding a bat. Over the years, this counter-playing and reversing of matches through him has been important to India.
India 1st Innings Scorecard:
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | c Brook b Dawson | 58 | 107 | 10 | 1 |
| KL Rahul | c Crawley b Woakes | 46 | 98 | 4 | 0 |
| Sai Sudharsan | Not Out | 48 | 132 | 5 | 0 |
| Shubman Gill (c) | lbw b Stokes | 12 | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| Rishabh Pant (wk) | Retired Hurt | 37 | 42 | 2 | 1 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Not Out | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Total: 212/3 (68 Overs)
Fall of Wickets: 1-94 (KL Rahul, 30 ov), 2-120 (Yashasvi Jaiswal, 40.1 ov), 3-140 (Shubman Gill, 49.1 ov), 4-212 (Rishabh Pant, retired hurt, 67.4 ov)
The specialists in cricket are already saying this injury may spell out the fate of the whole series. His aggressive type of game has seen India get out of many tricky situations in the past. In his absence, the Indian batting lineup appears to be very weak against the English bowling line, which has a strong bowling attack.
The injury is also a keeping problem for India. The extra wicketkeeper in the squad is Dhruv Jurel. But the keeping skills of Pant and his game-reading capabilities will be missed a lot. His combination with the Indian spinners has been quite significant in recent matches.
Medical Update Expected Soon
The medical team at BCCI is still reviewing the injury damage done to Pant. No fracture or severe bruising of the right foot is immediately reported. Team doctors will scan it in detail to find out whether Pant can extend his presence in this Test match or whether his injury is going to keep him off further.
Fans in India and other parts of the world pray that Pant recovers fast. Messages of encouragement to the young wicketkeeper are everywhere on social media. It cannot be ascertained until after he undergoes proper medical checks and X-rays to ascertain the degree of the injury he sustained.
This injury blow has left the management of the Indian cricket team to rush in the planning for the rest of this decisive test match. India is now left with no choice but to invent solutions on how to go ahead in this series without their most dangerous attacker, who is admittedly Pant.
