Will Pant bat again today? Can Team India reach the 400-run mark?
Manchester: At the end of Day 1 of the fourth Test (3.30 PM onwards) against England, India stood at 264 for 4. But the big question now is whether an injured Rishabh Pant who retired hurt on 37 will return to bat today or whether his dismissal will count as India’s fifth wicket.
According to sources close to the Indian team, Pant’s leg injury appears serious, and there are doubts over whether he will take the field again during this match.
India’s vice-captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was struck on his right leg while attempting a reverse sweep against a yorker from England pacer Chris Woakes. Notably, this is the same leg on which Pant had undergone knee surgery following a car accident two-and-a-half years ago.
Pant had already sustained a serious injury to the index finger of his left hand during the third Test at Lord’s, where he played most of the match despite the injury. Now, in this fourth Test, he has been hit with a fresh blow this time to his leg.
On Wednesday, Yashasvi Jaiswal (58) and Sai Sudharsan (61) scored half-centuries, while KL Rahul narrowly missed his with 46. Rishabh Pant hit one six and two fours in his 37* before retiring hurt.
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Ravindra Jadeja and all-rounder Shardul Thakur were unbeaten on 19 each at stumps. Among recognized batsmen, only Washington Sundar remains. However, with India’s tailenders proving capable with the bat in recent times, it remains to be seen how much Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and debutant Anshul Kamboj can contribute.
If Team India can push the score closer to the 400-run mark, they might still pose a significant challenge to the hosts. Otherwise, they risk losing not just the match but the series as well potentially going down 1-3.