England left-arm spinner Liam Dawson has given a grim prediction about Rishabh Pant’s ability to carry on playing in the current Manchester Test after he injured his foot badly on Day 1. Pant injured himself while trying to play a reverse sweep while Chris Woakes was bowling in the last session. The ball struck him squarely on the right foot after hitting the inside edge on the way to the slip cordon, which left him in excruciating pain.
Struggling visibly, Pant was not able to put any weight on the injured foot and was taken off the field on a buggy. He was initially treated by the Indian physio on the ground before being rushed to the nearby hospital for scans. The extent of the damage is unknown as the team waits for the scan report. The pictures showed obvious swelling, and Pant appeared clearly in distress as he removed his equipment.
Talking to the media after play, Dawson said that Pant’s injury “didn’t look great” and he wouldn’t be surprised if the left-hander was not able to return to take further part in the match. At the time of the incident, Pant had been in fluent touch, having stitched a half-century partnership with Sai Sudharsan. He had scored 37 off 48 balls, including a strong slog sweep off Jofra Archer, before the accident.
“Hope he’s alright. Didn’t look great, that. Obviously, thoughts with him. He’s a big player for them. I don’t think we’ll see him again in this game,” said Dawson.
India finished the day at 264 for 4 after 83 overs, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur unbeaten on 19 each, living through the last overs amidst increasing worry about their ailing team-mate.
