“Not many people would be able to come out and bat like he did on one foot”: Zak Crawley hails Rishabh Pant

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Rishabh Pant’s fitness to bat was the main talking point after day one when his showmanship got the better of him, and an attempted reverse sweep off Chris Woakes saw the ball deflect onto his right foot. The charismatic batter lay on the field in pain and had to leave on a cart, with his foot badly swollen.

India resumed on 264-4 and England took the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja (20) and Thakur (41) in the morning session.

But Pant’s return presented an unexpected obstacle for England when he came out to replace Thakur, despite overnight reports that he’d sustained a fracture. India did not confirm the injury.

Walking slowly and uncomfortably, Pant made his way to the crease to cheers from all around the stadium and resumed his innings on 37.

“Not many people in the world would be able to come out and bat like he did on one foot,” Crawley said. “We didn’t know quite where to put the field in terms of ‘Is he going to be able to run a two?’”

It was a gutsy display from Pant, who went on to add 17 more runs to get to 54 before being bowled by Jofra Archer, who sent the stumps crashing.

He is not keeping wickets, with Dhruv Jurel replacing him as a substitute wicket-keeper in the ongoing fourth Test in Manchester. The Indian team management and the BCCI have made no official announcement on the 27-year-old’s injury and whether he would be available for the fifth and final Test at The Oval.

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