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Former India spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed concerns around Rishabh Pant's injury that made him transfer wicketkeeping duties to substitute Dhruv Jurel during Lord's Test. Pant injured his finger in the third Test of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 and there were speculations about his availability as wicketkeeper-batter for Manchester Test. However, Ashwin thinks that the media has sensationalised the news and the there aren't any concerns ahead of Manchester Test.
"I don't think there were any concerns about Pant. I don't understand how it became a concern. It is just a way of sensationalizing news I feel. How much can a finger injury be if the finger is not broken? There will be a little bit impact obviously. If there would not have been a rule for a substitute keeper you would have seen Rishabh Pant keep even in the last game. It is a good thing that he rested himself and came back to bat but it was never a matter of concern. If the finger wasn't broken he was anyway going to keep in the fourth Test," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel 'Ash ki baat'.
On July 21, Pant was seen doing wicketkeeping deliveries without any visible discomfort. He is expected to play as a wicketkeeper-batter in the fourth Test.
The southpaw has been in good form with the bat. He is the second-highest run-scorer in the series. From six innings, he has scored 425 runs at an average of 70.83, including two centuries and as many half-centuries.
Pant chasing records with bat
In the previous game, Pant broke legendary captain MS Dhoni's record for most runs against England for India. The 27-year-old has 1,206 runs from 15 Tests against England at an average of 46.38, including five centuries and six fifties. Meanwhile, he is 64 runs away from becoming first visting wicketkeeper-batter to score 1,000 Test runs on England soil.
Pant is chasing another record held by Dhoni, the most runs by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter away from home. Pant has 2,312 runs from 33 Tests on foreign soil, averaging 40.56. He has six centuries and eight fifties in overseas condition. Dhoni has played 48 Tests away from India and scored 2,496 runs at an average of 32.84, including a century and 18 fifties.
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