Watch: Rishabh Pant helped off the field after suffering 'career-threatening' knee injury in Bengaluru Test

India suffered a major injury scare as the star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant hobbled out of the field after being hit on his knee during the ongoing first Test of the three-match Test series against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 17.

The scary incident took place on the last ball of the 37th over of New Zealand’s first innings in Bengaluru. Ravindra Jadeja delivered a sensational delivery to Devon Conway that nearly resulted in a dramatic dismissal.

Rishabh Pant hobbles off after knee blow in Bengaluru Test against New Zealand

The ball pitched perfectly in the footmarks, spinning sharply as Conway attempted a rash drive. And he completely misjudged the delivery by Jadeja. The ball narrowly missed the off stump, grazing past and slamming into Rishabh Pant’s knee on the unprotected area.

The impact was trembling, leaving Pant grimacing on the ground in pain. As the physio rushed onto the field, concerns grew about the severity of the injury. Pant was seen removing his right pad while the physio assessed the situation.

It was the same right knee that he had injured during his horrific car crash in December 2022. Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel hurried onto the field, pads on and ready to step in, as he took the gloves from Pant. Fans can only hope that some quick icing will help Pant recover swiftly and return to action.

Watch: Rishabh Pant gets struck by the ball in Bengaluru and leaves the field:

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— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) October 17, 2024

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— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) October 17, 2024

Earlier, in the ongoing first Test match between India and New Zealand, Rishabh Pant was dismissed by Matt Henry, caught by Tom Latham at second slip, for 20 runs off 49 balls, including two boundaries in Bengaluru.

It was the eighth wicket for India and was a disastrous day for the team. The delivery from Matt Henry, pitched on a good length and angling towards the middle, took off after hitting the pitch. The left-handed batter was only half-forward while attempting to defend and ended up edging the ball that flew straight into the hands of Tom Latham at second slip.

Recently, Rishabh recalled his unbeaten 89 that helped India record a historic win at The Gabba and clinched the four-match Test series 2-1 against Australia.

Rishabh Pant recalls his Gabba heroics

He was quoted as saying by Star Sports: “I don’t know what to say about that. but I’m always trying to do my best. Sometimes, there are performances that you remember for a lifetime, and one of them for me is the Gabba Test.”

Pant added, “At the time, I didn’t realize how significant it was. Rohit bhai (Rohit Sharma) was there, and he told me, 'You have no idea what you've done.' I was like, 'What have I done? My aim was just to win the match.' Rohit bhai said,'Later, you’ll understand what you’ve done.' Now, whenever I hear people talking about that Gabba match, I understand what he meant and how important it was.”