Rishabh Pant will not participate in the rest of the current Test at Old Trafford, nor will he play in the final Test at The Oval against England next week. The injury to his right foot, which he sustained on Wednesday’s first day, has now been confirmed as a fracture. While it is clear that Pant won’t be keeping wicket for the remainder of the fourth Test, the Indian team management will decide whether he can bat after consulting with the BCCI medical staff.
The fracture is believed to be in the metatarsal bone of his right foot, and initial assessments indicate that Pant will need six to eight weeks to recover. Fans spotted him outside the India team hotel in Manchester wearing a moonboot on his right foot.
The injury occurred during the second session when Pant attempted a reverse sweep off a delivery from Chris Woakes but accidentally hit it onto his front (right) foot. He immediately showed signs of pain, and the area quickly swelled up. At that moment, he had scored 37 runs and had to leave the field using a golf buggy. ESPNcricinfo reports that Pant had scans done shortly afterward, which confirmed the fracture.
Although England players appealed for lbw after missing his edge, Pant was focused on his pain. He managed to survive both the lbw appeal and a subsequent review, but it was clear that he couldn’t put any weight on his injured foot due to swelling.
India’s wicketkeeper and vice-captain, Rishabh Pant, first went to the medical facility at the ground, where captain Shubman Gill checked on him. Later, Pant was moved to a hospital.
Liam Dawson, the England spinner, mentioned at the end of the day’s play that he “can’t see him [Pant] playing much more part in this game.” B Sai Sudharsan, who was the non-striker at that moment, commented afterwards, “Oh, he was definitely in a lot of pain.”
This marks Pant’s second injury in as many Test matches; previously, he hurt his left index finger while keeping during England’s first innings at Lord’s. Dhruv Jurel took over as India’s wicketkeeper for the remainder of that Test match and might do so again in this one.
Pant scored 37 runs off 48 balls in a mostly careful innings but included some typical flashy shots, like a slog sweep for four against Jofra Archer and an unsuccessful reverse sweep on the next delivery.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet confirmed whether Pant has a fracture. They will also need to find a replacement for him for the fifth Test. During two unofficial Tests between England Lions and India A before this series began, Ishan Kishan served as the second wicketkeeper behind Jurel.
