Rishabh Pant’s fourth-Test innings ended on 37 when an attempted reverse sweep from Chris Woakes ricocheted into the outside of his right foot. The ball thudded in, the swelling came up almost at once, and after a short consultation with the physio he was ferried away on the ground’s little golf buggy – not the look anyone wanted with two days still to play.
Scans were arranged straightaway in the on-site facility at Old Trafford; India are still waiting on the results. Captain Shubman Gill popped in to check on him, which tells you the dressing-room concern is real enough. If a fracture is confirmed, India will be one batter light for the rest of the match and, more awkwardly, for the fifth Test at The Oval next week.
This is Pant’s second knock in as many matches. At Lord’s he copped one on the left index finger while keeping, forcing Dhruv Jurel to take the gloves for much of England’s first innings. Pant batted through that discomfort and was passed fit here in Manchester, but luck, clearly, has not turned.
Up to the injury the knock had been lively without tipping into the trademark mayhem. He needed 48 balls for his 37, mixing a handful of singles with the occasional flourish – a slog-swept four off Jofra Archer drew the loudest gasp – before the mistimed reverse brought him undone. England even went up for lbw, only for the replay to show a thick inside edge.
His stand of 72 with B Sai Sudharsan steadied India after a wobbly start; Sudharsan duly moved to a first Test half-century once Ravindra Jadeja came in at No. 6. Jadeja, though, is now effectively slated to bat a place higher if Pant cannot resume.
India will hope the scans show bruising rather than a break. History says Pant likes playing through pain, but swollen feet and five-day cricket rarely mix, so the next bulletin from the medical room carries a fair bit of weight for the series as a whole.
