England vs India 2018, 3rd Test: Jonny Bairstow Likely to Miss Remaining Two Tests

It has been a tremendous last couple of seasons for England wicket-keeper batsman, Jonny Bairstow. He is England’s mainstay in the India Tests, but unfortunately, got hurt when it mattered the most. Bairstow was hit by James Anderson’s inswinger when he failed to collect the ball cleanly on day three of the Trent Bridge Test.

He looked in utter pain after the ball had struck his finger, and later the hosts had given the gloves to Jos Buttler.

Now, with a daunting total of 521 runs to chase, England would pray hard to get Jonny Bairstow back in his cricketing gear for the second innings. However, the latest report says another story which might affect the remaining matches of the series as well.

There is a fracture on the tip of Jonny Bairstow’s finger – Farbrace

Meanwhile, the assistant head coach, Paul Farbrace made his voice on the Bairstow’s condition. He added it wasn’t a major injury but the pain it has caused is beyond the control for the wicketkeeper.

He added the right-handed batsman would be okay if the game asks him to walk to the middle. However, he spilt beans by saying the finger was fractured but not displaced entirely.

“There is a fracture in the tip of his finger, and the doc’s been working on him this evening to relieve a bit of pressure in the nail, so hopefully when needed he’ll be OK. I’m no expert on broken fingers but because it’s not a displaced break, then he should be OK, and it’s just a case of managing the pain level as opposed to doing any further damage,” he said.

”There will be a big bit of plastic stuck over his glove. Let’s see how he goes over the next couple of days. If there was a risk of making it worse, he wouldn’t bat,” Farbrace said to the reporters.

If there is a risk, he won’t bat in 2nd innings – Paul Farbrace

Though Paul Farbrace hasn’t revealed the exact condition of the player, he also spoke about the possibility of Bairstow missing out to bat in the 2nd innings at Trentbridge. Paul entirely left it to the physio.

“I’m no expert on broken fingers but because it’s not a displaced break, then he should be OK, and it’s just a case of managing the pain level as opposed to doing any further damage. There will be a big bit of plastic stuck over his glove. Let’s see how he goes over the next couple of days. If there was a risk of making it worse, he wouldn’t bat,” he added.

However, it would be interesting to see how England would cope with the Indian bowling on day four of the game. The absence of in-form Jonny Bairstow is a big loss for England who consistently knocked runs for them. However, Jos Buttler can manage the wicketkeeping duties.