ENG vs IND: "If that doesn’t lift the team up, nothing wil"- Ravi Shastri in awe of Rishabh Pant's courageous move to bat despite toe fracture in Manchester

Rishabh Pant scored 54 runs in first innings of the Manchester test with a broken toe.

Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri has lauded Rishabh Pant for resuming his batting in first innings of the ongoing fourth test despite a foot injury. The fourth match of the five-match test series between England Cricket Team and Indian Cricket Team is being played at Old Trafford, Manchester.

On day one of the game, Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant suffered a foot injury as he tried to play a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes. As a result, he had to leave the field and got retired hurt at 37 runs. However, he resumed his batting on day two and went on to score 54 runs.

The crowd at the stadium applauded Pant’s fightback in the match. They gave him a standing ovation when he came out to bat. Notably, Pant has been ruled out of wicket-keeping duties in the ongoing test and most probably will be ruled out of the fifth test at the Oval as well. Dhruv Jurel is keeping wickets in his absence for India in the ongoing test.

Ravi Shastri lauds Rishabh Pant’s fightback in the Manchester test

While speaking in a BCCI video, commentator Shastri heaped praise on Pant for his fightback in the Manchester test. He feels that Pant’s efforts should lift India’s morale in the encounter.

“For him to come back and do what he did – that was something special. What he did today, if that doesn’t lift the team up, nothing will,” he said.

“The ovation he got while going away, and the ovation he got coming back and the applause he got from everyone from the England team out there—that’s what you live for. That’s what you play for. That’s what makes heroes,” he said.

“What he’s done now proves he just wants to play. He loves Test cricket. He loves playing for the country. And if anyone ever doubted whether he was a team man, they saw it firsthand today. That kind of commitment requires more than just talent. It takes heart,” Shastri added.

I asked Rishabh Pant, ‘How’s your finger? It’s not broken, right?’ He replied, Even if it were broken, I would still play – Ravi Shastri

Shastri also revealed that he asked Pant about his finger injury ahead of the fourth test. Pant said that he would have played in the Manchester test even if his finger was broken.

“Before this Test, I asked Rishabh Pant, ‘How’s your finger? It’s not broken, right?’ He replied, Even if it were broken, I would still play,” Shastri said.

Notably, Pant faced a finger injury in the third test at the Lord’s. Despite the injury, he came out to bat in both innings and scored a fifty in the first innings. But, Jurel kept the stumps during the Lord’s test.

In the ongoing game, with Pant’s support, India piled up 358/10 in the first innings. Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudarsan scored half-centuries. Ben Stokes hunted a brilliant five-wicket haul while Jofra Archer picked up three wickets. England crossed 250 runs for two wickets in the first session of day 3.

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