Cliff Notes – Pant suffers foot fracture, set to miss remainder of Test series
- Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the ongoing Old Trafford Test and the final Test at The Oval due to a confirmed fracture of the metatarsal bone in his right foot.
- The injury occurred while attempting a reverse sweep, leading to immediate swelling and Pant retiring hurt on 37 runs; he will require six-to-eight weeks of rest.
- Dhruv Jurel is likely to replace Pant as wicketkeeper, following his previous injury in the Lord’s Test, as the team management consults with BCCI medical staff regarding Pant’s potential batting participation.
Pant suffers foot fracture, set to miss remainder of Test series
Rishabh Pant is set to miss the remainder of the ongoing Old Trafford Test as well as the final Test at The Oval against England starting next week, with the right-foot injury he suffered on Wednesday’s opening day now confirmed to be a fracture. It is understood that while Pant will certainly not keep wicket in the rest of the fourth Test, a call on whether or not he will be asked to bat or not will be taken by the India team management in consultation with the BCCI medical staff.
The fracture is understood to be of the metatarsal bone in the right foot and the initial diagnosis is that Pant would need six-to-eight weeks’ rest. Clips captured by fans outside the India team hotel in Manchester showed Pant’s right foot encased in a moonboot.
The injury took place during the second session of play when Pant tried to reverse sweep a delivery from Chris Woakes, which he ended up inside-edging on to his front (right) foot. He was in visible pain immediately, and the affected spot swelled up immediately. Pant had to retire hurt – he was on 37 at the time – and went off the ground on a golf buggy.
India’s wicketkeeper and vice-captain
The England players, having missed the edge, went up in appeal for lbw immediately, even as Pant reacted to the pain. He survived the lbw shout and the subsequent review, but the immediate swelling and his inability to put any weight on the foot were visible.
Pant, India’s wicketkeeper and vice-captain, was taken to the medical facility at the ground first, and captain Shubman Gill went to enquire about his well-being there. Pant was taken to a hospital after that.
Liam Dawson, the England spinner, said 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 the time, said later, “Oh, he was in a lot of pain definitely.”
This is the second injury he has sustained in as many Test matches, following a blow on his left index finger while keeping in England’s first innings at Lord’s. Dhruv Jurel substituted as India’s wicketkeeper for the rest of that Test match, and might be called upon to do the same in this Test.
Pant’s innings of 37 off 48 balls was largely restrained but featured several characteristically outrageous shots, including a slog sweep for four off Jofra Archer, followed by an unsuccessful reverse sweep off the next ball.
