India suffer injury scare during third Test against England

LONDON: India suffered a potential injury setback as their wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant walked off the field during the second session of the opening day of the third Test against England, underway here at The Lord’s on Thursday.

Pant took a hit on the index finger of his left hand during the 34th over of England’s first innings when India’s ace pacer slipped a bowl down the leg side, forcing the wicketkeeper to dive to his left to collect the ball.

The wicketkeeper, however, failed to make a desired connection with the ball as it hit his right index finger. Soon after the action was paused as he received medical attention on the field.

Despite the on-field treatment, Rishabh Pant was not able to continue and thus walked off the field and was subsequently substituted by Dhruv Jurel.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also shared an update on the 27-year-old’s injury, stating that he was receiving treatment.

“Update: #TeamIndia vice-captain Rishabh Pant got hit on his left index finger. He is receiving treatment at the moment and is under the supervision of the medical team. Dhruv Jurel is currently keeping wickets in Rishabh’s absence," BCCI shared on X, formerly Twitter.

With the extent of Pant’s injury still unknown, Jurel will keep the wickets for India for an undisclosed period but will not be allowed to bat due to the rule in place since 2017, which bars a substitute wicketkeeper from batting.

Notably, Rishabh Pant has been one of India’s in-form batters during the ongoing five-match series, having accumulated 342 runs in four innings at a remarkable average of 85.50.

He also scored centuries in each innings of the series opener in Leeds, which saw the home side chasing down a 371-run target to secure the victory.