Rishabh Pant's cricket ends in England, Ishan Kishan's central contract revival starts

The India National Cricket Team has suffered a huge setback, as the star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been ruled out for six weeks after sustaining a toe fracture on Day 1 of the ongoing fourth Test against England at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester.

Rishabh Pant suffered the injury in the 68th over when he was batting on 37 and attempted a reverse sweep against Chris Woakes. He missed the ball completely, which then struck his right boot after a slight inside edge. India’s vice-captain looked in considerable pain and was soon seen limping off the field, forcing him to retire hurt on Day 1 of the ongoing fourth Test.

Rishabh Pant ruled out for six weeks with a toe fracture

Medical scans later confirmed a fracture in his toe. The Indian cricket team management had hoped the explosive left-handed batter could return to bat after taking painkillers, but he is still unable to walk without support, and his return in Manchester now looks almost impossible.

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With India already down to 10 fit players in the playing XI, the Indian selectors have named Ishan Kishan as the standby player for the fifth and final Test, which is set to be played at The Oval from July 31 to August 4. Ishan Kishan recently played in the County Championship games.

A BCCI source was quoted as saying by The Indian Express, “The scan report showed a fracture, and he is ruled out for six weeks. The medical team is trying to see if he can come out to bat again by taking a painkiller. He still needs support to walk, though, and the chances of his batting look very bleak.”

India's mounting injury crisis on England tour

Meanwhile, India’s injury troubles in the ongoing five-match Test series have only gotten worse. The tourists have already been missing key players like all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy (knee injury), pacer Akash Deep (groin injury), and Arshdeep Singh (thumb injury), and now they faced another major setback in the form of the star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant in Manchester.

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Pant was visibly in pain after being hit on his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep. He fell to the ground grimacing as the physio rushed in to treat a badly swollen and bloodied toe. He was unable to continue, as the vice-captain removed his gloves and limped off the field.

With Pant retiring hurt at 37, Ravindra Jadeja came in next, but India lost Sai Sudharsan soon after. Despite the blow, Jadeja and Shardul Thakur managed to steady the innings, taking India to 264/4 at the end of Day 1 of the ongoing crucial fourth Test in Manchester.

Rishabh Pant’s injury hit India’s hopes in Manchester Test

Earlier, Rishabh Pant had hurt his left index finger while wicketkeeping during the third Test at Lord’s, and Dhruv Jurel kept the wickets against England.

His absence will be a massive jolt to India’s hopes of levelling the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, as he is the second leading run scorer in the series with 462 runs in 7 innings at an impressive average of 66 and strike rate of over 78.