Rishabh Pant’s return to long-form cricket hit an awkward bump on Saturday when the wicketkeeper-batter was forced to retire hurt during India A’s second innings against South Africa A in Bengaluru.
The basics first. Pant, batting at No. 5, copped three painful blows from seamer Tshepo Moreki inside 25 minutes: helmet, right elbow, then lower abdomen. After the third hit, coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar and the team physio led him off, the pair insisting on “a proper check-up, not bravery”, as one support-staff member put it. Pant was 17 not out from 22 balls at the time.
No concussion, the medical team say, and X-rays on the elbow are precaution only. Still, with the first Test against South Africa starting in Kolkata on 14 November, the incident is a reminder of how quickly finely-tuned plans can wobble.
Short morning, heavy traffic
The left-hander arrived at the crease in the third over of the day after overnight batter KL Rahul was bowled by Okuhle Cele for 28. Pant’s first three scoring shots – four, four, six, all off Cele – suggested another brisk counter-attack. Moreki, though, dragged his length back and the problems began.
Blow one came when Pant, attempting what looked like a reverse scoop, lost balance and was struck on the helmet. The mandatory concussion protocol was passed, but panting breaths hinted at discomfort.
The second hit, an attempted short-arm jab, found the point of the right elbow. “It stiffened almost immediately,” a dressing-room source said. Spray, strapping, a grimace. Still he continued.
The third delivery jagged in off the seam, thudding into the stomach. Pant bent double, then stayed down. Kanitkar’s decision was swift: “Off you go, Rishabh. Bigger things next week.”
Pant wanted to carry on – you could see him arguing the case – yet eventually yielded. He walked off holding the taped elbow, helmet tucked beneath the free arm.
Recent mileage
The 27-year-old had looked in decent nick only last week, top-scoring with 90 in the opening four-day fixture at the same venue. That knock quelled doubts after a fractured toe, sustained when Chris Woakes yorked him during the Manchester Test against England in July, kept him out for 98 days – a statistic Pant himself recited at the second-game toss, eyebrows raised, half a smile.
Test places and permutations
India’s Test squad has Jurel as second keeper, and the youngster filled in impressively against West Indies and at The Oval. Still, a fully-fit Pant is central to India’s batting plans – especially with the World Test Championship table tightening. India sit third on 61.90 per cent; South Africa, fifth on 50.
Guwahati will host the second Test from 22 November, its first ever. Conditions there tend to be slower, but Kolkata is expected to offer pace – hence the value of time against the South African quicks this week.
Expert view
Former India physiotherapist John Gloster called the decision to withdraw Pant “sensible”. “Even if everything comes back clear, repeated trauma in the same session increases risk. With only a few days before a Test series, you don’t roll the dice,” he told Star Sports.
Bowling coach T. Dilip, meanwhile, praised Moreki’s spell. “It wasn’t reckless short stuff; it was calculated. He hit the splice, made Rishabh adjust. Good, hard cricket.”
Balance sheet
So, a scare rather than a crisis. Pant has passed his initial checks, will rest for 24 hours and – if swelling settles – may even bat again on the fourth morning. Whether that happens might depend less on his pain-threshold and more on Kanitkar’s gut feeling.
Either way, Saturday underlined an old truth: match fitness is never simply about numbers in a scorebook. Sometimes, it’s about how the body reacts when the ball keeps following you. For Pant, the follow-up starts now.
