India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant sustained his second injury of the ongoing series against England on Day 1 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford. The 27-year-old started the fourth Test on a positive note and was seen hitting his trademark shots on Wednesday. However, the left-hander would soon get hit hard on his right foot off a delivery from Chris Woakes after attempting to hit a reverse sweep.This injury saw him not being able to continue and was soon forced to retire hurt.
Ponting suspects that Pant may have sustained a metatarsal injury
Legendary Australia cricketer Ricky Ponting, who had previously worked with Pant during the wicketkeeper-batter's stint at Delhi Capitals in IPL, feels that the left-hander may have sustained a metatarsal injury. If the foot is indeed broken, Ponting believes that Pant will be out for the entire match.
"He hardly put his foot on the ground. He rolled around for 6-8 minutes before the golf cart came in. The immediate swelling was the worry for me. I've had a metatarsal injury myself, and they're small, fragile bones," Ponting said on Sky Sports.
"He hardly put his foot on the ground. He rolled around for 6-8 minutes before the golf cart came in. The immediate swelling was the worry for me. I've had a metatarsal injury myself, and they're small, fragile bones," he added.
On the other hand, former India cricketer Ravi Shastri also expressed concern over Pant's injury, stating that the 27-year-old looked to be in a lot of pain and that his condition could get worse overnight.
"Just seeing his face, grimacing there. He has a pain threshold that's very high, and for him to be grimacing in pain in that fashion makes it very serious. It can only get worse overnight," Shastri stated.
"When you get up in the morning, it can be really sore, no matter the amount of ice you put. He will be icing it through the night. Let's hope it's not a break or it's not a crack," he added.
Meanwhile, India wrapped up the first day of Manchester Test on 264/4 with both Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul unbeaten on 19. Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan's fifties had gotten the Men in Blue into a strong position, however Pant's injury saw them end the day on a not so positive note and it will be interesting to see how far will they manage to take their total on the second day of the match.