India suffered a major blow in the ongoing Test series against England as wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the remainder of the tour after sustaining a toe fracture on the opening day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
Pant, 27, retired hurt on 37 after being struck on his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep off England pacer Chris Woakes on Wednesday.
Subsequent scans revealed a serious injury to the metatarsal bones, effectively sidelining him for at least six weeks.
“He is ruled out for six weeks. Ishan Kishan will be called in as cover. His metatarsals seem shattered. It doesn’t look good at all,” a senior BCCI source said.
An official statement from the board is still awaited.
Pant did not travel with the team to the ground on Thursday and instead underwent further medical examinations.
The severity of the injury was evident, with visible swelling and bleeding on his right foot shortly after the impact.
Known for his ability to shift the tempo of a match with fearless strokeplay, Pant was the only Indian batter to take on the England bowling attack on day one.
He struck a daring sweep off Jofra Archer and later drove Brydon Carse down the ground in signature style before the injury cut his innings short.
His absence is a significant setback for India, who are already battling multiple injuries.
All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out earlier due to a knee issue, while pacers Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh missed the fourth Test owing to a groin strain and finger injury respectively. India trail 1-2 in the five-match series.
Kishan, who recently featured in two County Championship matches for Nottinghamshire and was part of the India A squad against the England Lions, is likely to join the team as Pant’s replacement. However, he did not play in any of the warm-up games.
KL Rahul is another potential wicketkeeping option, though he has not donned the gloves in a Test since the 2023–24 South Africa tour. Dhruv Jurel, also in the squad, was not picked for the ongoing match.
ALSO READ: ED raids Anil Ambani Group firms in Rs 3,000-crore bank loan ‘fraud’ probe
This is Pant’s second injury setback in the series. He had earlier bruised his finger while keeping wickets during the third Test at Lord’s, which prevented him from taking the gloves in England’s second innings.
Pant only returned to international cricket last year following a near-fatal car accident in December 2022 that had sidelined him for several months.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, speaking on Sky Sports, expressed concern after witnessing the incident live.
“He hardly put his foot on the ground after the impact. I’ve had a metatarsal injury myself—they are small, fragile bones. The swelling was immediate, and the fact he couldn’t bear weight on it doesn’t look good,” Ponting said.
