Will Rishabh Pant bat for India in second innings of ongoing ENG vs IND 4th Test?

India’s wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant was injured in the first innings of the ongoing fourth Test between India and England at the Old Trafford, Manchester. He had to leave the field midway as he was driven away in a makeshift ambulance. But the batter known for his resilience did make it to the field again despite a fractured foot and scored a gritty 54 runs knock as India posed a total of 358 runs in the first innings. 

Just after Pant walked out of the field, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) rolled out a statement that the southpaw has been advised a rest of six weeks after consulting the doctors. 

“Rishabh Pant, who sustained an injury to his right foot on Day 1 of the Manchester Test, will not be performing wicket-keeping duties for the remainder of the match,” BCCI confirmed in a statement. 

Fans are waiting with bated breath to see the remainder of the Test as England batters are reigning supreme on a pitch which as of now is favouring the batters. On the other hand, Pant’s comeback in the second innings also looms under a cloudy sky in uncertainty. Despite the gruesome injury Pant might still bat in the second innings as he has ample time to recover with Dhruv Jurel acting as substitute for him and donning the gloves. 

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It is worth noting that Pant is the latest entrant to the injured list that comprises Nitish Kumar Reddy and pacers Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh who were ruled out of the remainder of the series following the Lord’s Test. Pant has not donned the wicketkeeping gloves since he was hit on the index finger while keeping in the third Test at the Lord’s. If he is ruled out of the last Test, Jurel is likely to fill in the role left by him in the series closure.