Rishabh Pant, foot in strapping and pain etched on his face, returned to the crease on Friday morning and nudged India to 352 all out – a total already being described as “a touch above par” by England bowling coach Jeetan Patel.
The wicketkeeper-batter had retired hurt on 37 late on day one after a Chris Woakes full toss crashed into his right boot during an attempted reverse-sweep. Overnight scans confirmed a small fracture, and team physio Nitin Patel admitted on BBC radio: “Most players would sit this one out, but Rishabh insisted he was ready to have a go.”
Out he came with India 314 for 6, Shardul Thakur having just perished. Movement was restricted to the odd hobble, yet Pant still managed to add 17 valuable runs, pushing his score to 54 before Jofra Archer found the perfect delivery – angled in, straightening to clip the top of off.
Pant’s brief stay contained two boundaries and a trademark pick-up pull off Archer that sailed into the Stretford End for his 90th Test six, drawing him level with Virender Sehwag as India’s joint-leading six-hitter. Sehwag needed 103 Tests; this is only Pant’s 47th.
“Pure courage,” former England skipper Alastair Cook told TMS. “You can’t plant your front foot? Fine, he’ll still swing hard enough to clear the ropes.”
Pant’s injury leaves India light behind the stumps for the rest of the match. Dhruv Jurel, uncapped before this tour, took the gloves and is set to keep for the remainder of the series finale. Head coach Rahul Dravid kept expectations measured: “Dhruv has been working hard in the nets. It’s a big stage, but he’s ready.”
The morning had begun with Washington Sundar and Thakur stretching the sixth-wicket stand to 48, England’s seamers again finding the surface less helpful than forecast. When Sundar edged Mark Wood on 41, Pant hobbled through nine overs, manipulating the gaps for 14 singles – his partners effectively running two every time he made his ground.
England’s reply will decide whether Pant’s cameo proves match-defining. A slow, dry surface means anything past 300 could force the hosts to bat with intent rather than caution, especially against India’s twin spinners. “We think we’re still right in it,” Archer insisted at lunch. “That total’s gettable if we apply ourselves.”
As for Pant’s immediate future, the BCCI medical team will reassess after the Test, but the fracture is expected to rule him out for several weeks. For now, his willingness to bat on one good leg has given India what Cook called “an emotional lift and 35 precious runs. In tight series finales, that can be the difference.”
