He is the second leading run-getter in this Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant displayed huge courage, walking to the middle with a fractured toe after the fall of Shardul Thakur on Day 2 of the ENG vs IND 4th Test. Pant hobbled down the stairs as he received a standing ovation from the Old Trafford crowd. The southpaw added 17 more runs to his tally during his hour-long stay.
When Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes targeted his injured foot, Pant smoked a six over long mid-wicket and a four through the off-side, respectively. Soon after Pant completed his fifty, Archer sent him back to the pavilion with a peach of a delivery. However, his effort proved enough to take India past the 350-run mark.
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122/4
108/6
Fatemi Resources Cricket Club beat KL Gladiators by 14 runs
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48/3
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Match Cancelled
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When Pant was hobbling to climb the stairs, the world witnessed India vice-captain’s undying spirit to play cricket. He received a genuine hug from head coach Gautam Gambhir and praises from former cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar. In a latest video shared by BCCI, Ravi Shastri, Dinesh Karthik, and Cheteshwar Pujara weighed in on his outstanding effort.
Referring to the finger injury Pant suffered in the 3rd Test at Lord’s, Shastri recalled, “Before this Test, I asked him ‘How is the finger? Is it broken? Will you play this game?’ He said, ‘Of course I will play. Toota bhi ho, toh khelta’ (I would have played even if it was broken).”
The former head coach then spoke about how special and unique Pant’s knock was.
“If that doesn’t lift the team up, nothing will. And the applause he got from everyone from the England team out there, that’s what you live for. What you play for. And that’s what makes heroes. So it shows what he wants, he wants to play, he loves playing Test cricket, for the country. If anyone doubted whether he was a team man, they got to see it first-hand today. That requires more than just steel,” Shastri added.
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The 27-year-old is likely to be unavailable for the fifth and final Test at The Oval. He is reportedly asked to be out of action for at least six weeks. His absence will be a huge blow for the visitors, who are already 2-1 down in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Pant is the second-leading run-getter of the series with 479 runs in seven innings, averaging 68.42. He is also the second-most senior batter after KL Rahul.
With respect to the wicket-keeping duties, Dhruv Jurel has worn the gloves in the ongoing 4th Test. For the next match, Narayan Jagadeesan has received a maiden call-up to fill in for Pant. However, he may not get a chance in the playing XI straightaway. Shubman Gill & Co. are more likely to replace Pant with Jurel, while Rahul can be a back-up wicket-keeper.
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