Injured Rishabh Pant may bat if needed, but won't keep wickets

Dubai: Indian vice-captain and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who sustained an injury on the opening day of the fourth Test against England in Manchester, has been cleared to bat if required. The 27-year-old was seen in the stands wearing his playing whites, closely following the match after receiving medical attention.

With Pant unable to take the field, Dhruv Jurel has taken over wicketkeeping duties for the remainder of the innings.

The injury occurred when Pant inside-edged a reverse sweep onto his foot off the bowling of Chris Woakes. He was in immediate discomfort, prompting a quick response from the physio. Pant lay on the ground for several minutes, unable to put weight on his foot. He was eventually transported off the field in a golf cart-style ambulance and later received additional treatment in the medical room at Old Trafford. Just before the end of the day’s play, he was taken to a hospital for scans and has since been advised to rest for six weeks.

This is not the first injury Pant has suffered in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. During the earlier Lord’s Test, he was struck on the hand while attempting to collect a delivery from Jasprit Bumrah. After initial treatment, he returned to the dressing room and did not keep wicket for the remainder of that match, with Jurel again stepping in as a substitute. Pant managed to score 74 in the first innings but was visibly in pain during the second, especially after facing a series of yorkers from Jofra Archer.

The incident has reignited debate around substitution rules in cricket. Former England captain Michael Vaughan suggested that teams should be allowed to field batting or bowling substitutes in the event of injuries. “It’s not fair to have a 10 vs 11 contest when four days are still left in the game,” Vaughan said.

However, former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel disagreed, arguing that the current rules are sufficient. “There are already a number of grey areas that teams try to exploit, like the concussion rule in T20s. In an ongoing game, injuries are unfortunate, but they happen,” Parthiv said during a media interaction as part of his JioHotstar commentary duties.

“At least the rules now allow for a substitute to keep wickets — that wasn’t always the case. Someone from the team used to have to fill in. It’s unfortunate that Rishabh got injured, but these things are part of the game,” he added.