Rishabh Pant Injured at Lord’s; Gautam Gambhir Rushes Down from Balcony to Check on Him
4 months ago | 5 Views
On the first afternoon of the third Test against England at Lord's on Thursday, India suffered a major setback when vice-captain Rishabh Pant left the field hurt in the middle of the second session, causing anxiety among the Indian side. He was replaced by Dhruv Jurel, the substitute wicketkeeper.
Pant was hit on the fingertips of his left hand by a fuller Jasprit Bumrah delivery that was angled down the leg side to Ollie Pope during England's first innings, during the 34th over. In an effort to catch the ball, the wicketkeeper had stretched out completely to his left, but he was ultimately quite uncomfortable.
On the last ball of the 26th over, when Pope allowed a length delivery to pass through that nipped in and narrowly missed the off stump, it was the second instance in the innings that a Bumrah delivery had given Pant discomfort. Pant needed medical care at that time, but the hit in the 34th over made him appear to be in excruciating pain.
Pant received immediate attention from the physiotherapist, who applied spray before taping his fingers heavily, as he grabbed his hand and leaped in agony. After getting medical care during the first session, Pant already had his fingers taped up. Gautam Gambhir, who was clearly anxious, observed the events from the locker room before engaging in a somber conversation with the support staff. The physio handed him a beverage following the spray.
In the interim, Dhruv Jurel raced down the Lord's corridor and onto the sidelines, where he waved to captain Shubman Gill and the rest of the team to see if he should be getting ready to take over.
Pant, though in discomfort, at first declined to be replaced and continued to keep, though he could be seen wincing as he put the gloves back on. But after three deliveries, Jurel was seen getting ready with the gloves, and Pant eventually walked off at the conclusion of the over.
The India star remained in the dugout for a bit before heading to the Indian locker room, where Gambhir, who was sitting on the Lord's balcony, got up and ran to check on him right away. Commentators worried about the severity of the injury after seeing the scene.
In the opposite series 18 months prior, Jurel had played as the wicketkeeper. He was also behind the stumps for the India A games before this game. However, making a Test debut in England as a wicketkeeper is a significant opportunity as well as a tough challenge, especially as we await the BCCI's report on Pant's injury.
Earlier today, England chose to bat in the Third Test after winning the toss. Nitish Kumar Reddy took two wickets in his first over, dismissing Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in four balls, despite the openers mitigating the threat in the first hour. At the conclusion of the first session, England had a score of 83-2.
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