Gautam Gambhir forcing 'half-fit' Rishabh Pant to play Manchester Test? India coach breaks silence

India National Cricket Team assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has provided a massive update on the participation of the star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant in the fourth Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.

Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed that they want Rishabh Pant to feature in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, even if he plays as a sole batter.

Rishabh Pant got injured in the Lord's Test

The Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant suffered a massive injury blow during the third Test match against the England National Cricket Team at Lord's in London, which the visitors lost.

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He got injured during the 34th over of the first innings when the pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah bowled a full-length delivery to the English batter Ollie Pope angling down leg-side.

Ollie Pope looked to flick it away but missed completely, and the ball went towards Rishabh Pant, who dived across to stop the ball but couldn't collect it cleanly and was struck on the index finger of his left hand.

He looked in immense pain after suffering the blow and received treatment from a physiotherapist, before leaving the field at the end of the over and being replaced by Dhruv Jurel as the substitute wicketkeeper.

Despite hurting his index finger on his left hand, he batted in both innings of the match. In the first innings, he scored a sensational 74 off 112 balls, before getting run out by Ben Stokes' amazing direct hit, and in the second innings, he scored 9 off 12 before Jofra Archer castled him.

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir to dismantle Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management plans? India coach drops a bomb

I don't think you're going to keep Rishabh out of the Test no matter what - Ryan ten Doeschate

Rishabh Pant didn't bat or keep in India's recent practice session, and he focused on light training. His left index finger hasn't recovered completely, but there was no taping on it on Thursday.

Giving an update on the wicketkeeper-batsman, India assistant coach Doeschate hinted that they are leaning towards playing Rishabh Pant in the Manchester Test, even as a sole batter if he can't keep wickets.

"He [Pant] will bat in Manchester before the Test. Look, I don't think you're going to keep Rishabh out of the Test no matter what. He batted with quite a lot of pain in the third Test and it's only going to get easier and easier on his finger. And keeping's obviously the last part of the process to make sure that he can keep. We don't want to go through that again where we have to replace the keeper halfway through innings."

Jurel's in the equation - Ryan ten Doeschate

Ryan ten Doeschate's comments hinted that India will be adding Dhruv Jurel to the playing XI as a keeper, but the assistant coach said that the youngster won't get an opportunity if Pant is fully fit to bat and keep wickets. He said:

"Jurel's in the equation, but I mean obviously if Rishabh's fit, he plays the next Test and does both."

Dhruv Jurel, the son of a Kargil war veteran, has played four Test matches for the India National Cricket Team and has scored 202 runs at an average of 40.40.