Manchester, UK— Rishabh Pant showed incredible bravery and commitment on Day 2 of the fourth Test against England. He went out to bat even though he had broken his right foot the day before. Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said that the choice was entirely Pant’s own and that head coach Gautam Gambhir or skipper Shubman Gill had nothing to do with it. This amazing act of bravery has received a lot of accolades.
Pant hurt himself late on Wednesday while trying to hit a yorker-length delivery from Chris Woakes with a reverse sweep. He was clearly in pain, so they had to carry him off the field and then transport him to the hospital for scans. The first reports said he would need to rest for six weeks, which would end his tour of England.
But Pant’s amazing return to the crease after Shardul Thakur’s dismissal in the first session on Day 2 went against what everyone thought would happen. He scored 17 more important runs on top of the 37 he had overnight, bringing his total to 50 as India passed the important 350-run milestone.
A Surprise Player at the Crease
Sanjay Manjrekar told JioStar at lunch that he was surprised that Pant came in so early. Manjrekar thought that the injured batter might come in as the last man, if at all, until he saw pictures of Pant talking to Gautam Gambhir in the dressing room.
“When Pant was in the dressing room with Gautam Gambhir, talking to him, we thought there was a chance he might come in at the end of the innings. He was such a hard man to read.” Who would have guessed that he would come in to bat after the next wicket fell? Manjrekar said.
He said that Pant “hasn’t looked like he did before the injury,” and he pointed out that England captain Ben Stokes hit Pant’s hurt foot with a yorker on the opening ball. Manjrekar, on the other hand, stressed Pant’s special ability to get around physical problems. “But now we need to think back to those really good batsmen who have come to the middle and done amazing things in cricket. And don’t rule that out with this guy; he is the one. People say that one day you won’t be able to move your feet; you’ll just be able to bat. He has so great hand-eye coordination that he will still be able to win. So England would be worried that it was going to be shut down. “Go back,” he said, “even though he looked really clearly in pain.”
Kumble’s Grit Echoes
Manjrekar made a strong comparison between Pant’s brave performance and that of Indian cricket hero Anil Kumble, who memorably bowled with a broken jaw in the 2002 Antigua Test against the West Indies. After being hit by a Mervyn Dillon bouncer on Day 2 of that match, Kumble broke a bone and was told to have surgery right away. Even so, he went back to bowl and eventually got the important wicket of Brian Lara, which is still remembered in Indian cricket history.
“Because today, you know, it doesn’t matter if you made the contribution now or later. Manjrekar stated, “I think it’ll come out in the second innings,” thinking about Pant’s choice. He wondered what Pant was thinking: “What he’s thinking is that I’m out for the next Test, and I don’t know when I’ll play for India again.” So, might as well go out there and get things done. And this has been him on his own deciding I’m going to go out there, and he must have enjoyed his time until the injury, and when you do things like this, gestures like this with Anil Kumble with the jaw strapped up, those are moments in history that you remember 50 years from now.”
A Deep Love for Test Cricket
Manjrekar unequivocally stated his belief that no one in the Indian dressing room would have pressured Pant to bat given the severity of his injury. He sees this act as a testament to Pant’s profound dedication to Test cricket.
“I can’t imagine Gautam Gambhir or the captain pleading with him or sussing him out whether he would be going out there because that would help India. Because it’s too much to ask, and I forgot about the finger injury because of this. He’s got that as well to worry about,” Manjrekar observed, also reminding of Pant’s existing finger injury from the previous Test.
“But he was very keen to play this test match, and he had the option of playing only as a batter because Jurel is there as an optional keeper, and KL Rahul is as well. So this shows how keen Pant is to turn up for India, and something about, I guess, Tests to get where it’s being played, look at the amount of attention that you get as a cricketer when you play Test cricket in England. So this is where he wants to, you know, give his best. If you wonder why he hasn’t quite made the same impact in white ball cricket, maybe this is the reason why, because he wants to leave a mark on this format more than the others.”
Pant’s inspiring return to the crease has undoubtedly provided a morale boost for India in a crucial match, despite the significant pain he is enduring.