India star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was in terrible discomfort at the team's first practice session in Dubai before the upcoming edition of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. On Saturday, February 15, India arrived in Dubai and was greeted with thunderous applause. Players immediately got to work adjusting to the conditions in Dubai as the team participated in their first practice after arriving.
Rishabh Pant gets hit on knee
Rishabh Pant, however, suffered terrible pain after being struck in the knee during practice. Pant was seen collapsing to the ground when the team's physio responded to him in a widely shared video. Following the incident, he was later observed hobbling off the field.
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Kuldeep Yadav and other spinners were spotted being hit over the fence by Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer. Rishabh Pant was struck on the knee by accident brought on by one of Pandya's hard blows. Although he was in pain, Kamlesh Jain, the physiotherapist, took care of him as a worried Pandya came out of the nets to see how his younger colleague was doing.
However, Pant padded up shortly after the first team batters' sessions were over, so it did not prove to be a major problem. As usual, Kohli appeared to be quite focused during the nets. Following his game-winning century against England in Cuttack last week, Rohit appeared to be in a high mood and had a bounce in his stride.
Indian supporters are hoping that the wicketkeeper is healthy and available for action whenever the team needs him and has not sustained a serious injury before the match. Head coach Gautam Gambhir has revealed that Pant has been chosen as the second wicketkeeper in the 15-man squad, joining KL Rahul, who will start the competition.
Pakistan and New Zealand will play the inaugural match at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 19, marking the start of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Along with Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand, India has been assigned to Group A. India will play their first match against Bangladesh on February 20. India's final match is against New Zealand on Sunday, March 2, and the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan match is scheduled on Sunday, February 23. In the previous two Champions Trophy tournaments, the Men in Blue advanced to the finals and won in 2013 and 2017, respectively, before losing to Pakistan in the championship match.