NEW DELHI: India’s Rishabh Pant suffered a foot fracture during the ongoing Manchester Test against England after attempting a reverse sweep on Day 1. The injury occurred when he was on 37, as Chris Woakes delivered a yorker that struck Pant’s right toe, reportedly causing the fracture.
Despite the setback, Pant resumed his innings on Day 2 and battled through the pain to notch up a gritty half-century before falling to Jofra Archer. His injury has now cast doubt over his availability for India’s second innings and reignited conversations around the use of injury substitutes in Test cricket.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott, speaking on The Telegraph Podcast, criticised Pant’s shot selection and said the injury was avoidable.
“It is always sad when a player gets hurt and affects his ability to play a part in the game—especially someone as talented as him. But he has only himself to blame,” Boycott said.
“They were nicely in control, batting orthodox—there was no need to try something outrageous. Rishabh tries amazing strokes. When they come off, people are astonished and cheer him, and that is the essence of his batting. But when they don’t, it can look silly. India were building a strong position. Some might say that’s just his nature, but if he can’t bat in both innings, it might cost India the match. He’s that important,” he added.
The incident has sparked fresh debate over allowing like-for-like substitutions in Tests.
Speaking to TalkSport Cricket, former England batter David Lloyd offered his take: “I’m probably against runners, but I’m in favour of substitutes for external injuries. It does open a can of worms, but if it’s a break and medically he’s out for six weeks, then maybe a like-for-like replacement is worth considering. Not something like replacing a batter with a spinner, though.”
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