"He went out to bat with a broken foot..."- Karun Nair reveals how Rishabh Pant inspired him to bat with injured hand in The Oval test

Karun Nair said Rishabh Pant inspired many players by putting the team first after his foot injury.

Indian middle-order batsman Karun Nair has revealed how Rishabh Pant inspired him to bat despite a hand injury during the fifth test of the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. The right-hander sustained an injury in his hand while batting in the second innings of The Oval test between England and India.

However, he continued to bat despite the pain. India battled quite a few injury issues during their tour to England with major one being of Indian wicket-keeper Pant, who sustained a severe foot injury during the fourth test in Manchester. The left-handed batsman was hit on his foot while attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes’ delivery in the first innings.

He was immediately rushed out of the field on a cart as he was unable to walk. However, Pant returned to bat on the next day with a broken toe and also scored a half-century for the team. After the match, he was ruled out of the final test.

Rishabh Pant inspired so many of us in the dressing room: Karun Nair

During a conversation with Revsportz, Nair revealed that Pant inspired many players with his decision to bat in the Manchester test with a broken toe. Hence, he also chose to put the team first when he sustained a hand injury in the next game.

“During the series, I think Rishabh has set a very high standard of what we are supposed to be doing as players. In the 4th Test, he went out to bat with a broken foot and scored a fifty,” he said.

“He inspired so many of us in the dressing room and showed the kind of player and person he is by putting the team first. So, it struck me in a way that it did something to me, and thus it became really easy for me to decide what to do for the team,” he added.

Notably, Nair scored a crucial half-century in first innings of The Oval test, which India won by six runs. Overall, the right-handed batter failed to make an impact in the series, hitting 205 runs in eight innings at an average of 25.62. He made a comeback to the test team after a gap of eight years.

Meanwhile, Pant slammed two centuries and three half-centuries across four games, hitting 479 runs in seven innings at an average of 68.43. In the opening test at Headingley, he became the first Indian batsman to score twin centuries in a test match in England.

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