Blow for India: Rishabh Pant OUT of Lord's Test, replacement selected

In a huge blow for the India National Cricket Team, the star wicketkeeper-batsman and vice-captain Rishabh Pant seems to have suffered an injury to his fingers.

Rishabh Pant hurt his fingers on Day 1 of the third Test match between the India National Cricket Team and the England National Cricket Team at Lord's in London.

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Rishabh Pant in severe pain after hurting his fingers

On the first ball of the 34th over, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah bowled a full-length delivery to Ollie Pope angling down leg-side, and the English batter looked to flick it away but missed completely.

The ball went towards Rishabh Pant, who dived across to stop the ball but could only get a bit of mitt on the ball as England picked up two byes.

Pant had hurt his fingers during the process as the ball smashed him on the fingertips of his left hand. He looked in severe pain as the physio put some spray in the injured area, and his fingers were heavily taped up.

After the spray, Pant was given something to drink by the physio, and the wicketkeeper-batsman was good enough to continue for the remainder of the over.

Just after the end of the 34th over, Rishabh Pant was asked to leave the field to get further treatment, and Dhruv Jurel was called in as the substitute wicketkeeper. Pant will be back on the field as soon as he feels well.

Watch: Rishabh Pant walks off the field

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I have a feeling it is a little bit more than a broken nail - Mel Jones

Speaking on Sky Sports, Mel Jones feared that Pant has suffered something more than a broken nail. Jones said:

"I don't think it is a chipped nail. Wicketkeepers' hands get battered and bruised so I have a feeling it is a little bit more than a broken nail."

Earlier, England won the toss and opted to bat first in the match. This move surprised everyone as the Ben Stokes-led side has been a team that prefers chasing. Talking about the change of policy from England, former English skipper Michael Atherton stated:

"Normally, the cheer from the crowd happens after England have won the toss, this time it happened after Stokes said he will bat first. It's only the second time Stokes has won the toss in a Test in England and decided to bat first. The only other time he had done that was the Ashes Test at Edgbaston. A change of policy from England today."

Michael Atherton also defended the young spinner Shoaib Bashir, who has been facing heavy criticism for his poor bowling in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He stated:

"There's been a fair bit of criticism flying around about young Shoaib Bashir, but I have some sympathy for him because Stokes has been bowling first, which means Bashir has been bowling on a day one pitch.

"If you look at India's spinners, Jadeja has 300+ Test wickets, and he's also been struggling on the pitches in the first two Tests, so I wouldn't judge him too harshly. If England get runs on the board batting first, he may have a chance at bowling last in the fourth innings."