What Rishabh Pant did was unmatched: Shardul
PTI
Last Updated:
Manchester, Jul 24 (PTI) India all-rounder Shardul Thakur on Thursday lauded Rishabh Pan't 'unmatched" courage and pain threshold after the latter came out to bat on day two of the fourth Test against England with a broken foot.
Speaking to reporters, Shardul confirmed that Pant indeed suffered a fracture while batting on day one.
'I think it was always our plan (to try and bring Pant to the middle). There were quite a few efforts from the medical team. So, yes, kudos to them," said Shardul referring to Pant's fifty that helped India post 358 in their first innings.
'They could get Rishabh back onto the field. He could bat there for a while. And whatever he did, it's of course vital runs for the team he scored.
'And yes, he was in a lot of pain. And we have seen him doing a lot of amazing things. And this was just another amazing thing that he did for the team today," added Shardul.
Shardul and the rest of his teammates were excited to see how Pant approached his innings after resuming at an overnight 37 when he retired hurt after copping a blow on his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep off England pacer Chris Woakes on Wednesday.
'Everyone was very excited to see how he would approach for his innings. And I think what he showed today, the passion he showed for the team is unmatched. We have seen a lot of instances in the past when they have batted with fractures.
'I think there was a time when Graeme Smith was batting in the South African team. His hand was fractured. So, in these moments, the grit of the player comes into play.
'And I think Rishabh's positivity and his grit keeps him away from all the pains and whatever pain he has. His pain bearing capacity is very high. If he is in pain, it is a big injury," said Thakur.
On Pant batting in the second innings, Thakur said: 'That is his call and medical team's call. In the morning we thought maybe he will be able to bat. Earlier, I had to touch his feet and see if he was able to walk properly. If he is able to walk properly, then we can talk about batting.
'When we reached the ground and were warming up up, he was not there. And then I went for batting. I don't know what happened after that. And I think there is a fracture," confirmed Thakur.
England opener Zak Crawley too was surprised to see Pant in the middle.
'Not many people can do what Pant did today," said Crawley, who put England in a good position by sharing a 166-run opening stand with Ben Duckett.
England ended the day at 225 for two with Ollie Pope and Joe Root in the middle. PTI BS AH AH
view comments
First Published:
July 25, 2025, 01:00 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Rishabh Pant will bat for India on Day 5 in Manchester, confirms batting coach
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has revealed that wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant will be available to bat on Day 5 of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. Pant suffered a toe fracture on Day 1 of the game and had to be immediately taken off the braved through the pain on Day 2 and returned to bat to complete his half-century. He scored a brilliant 54 (75), smashing three fours and two sixes. With India once again needing Pant's services on Day 5, the star batter will be once again available to bat, Sitanshu Kotak think he will bat tomorrow,' said Kotak in the press conference at the end of the day's play. Furthermore, the Indian batting coach said that the players will have to play every ball on the merit on the final day and avoid unnecessary risks.'Don't be pre-planned. Play to the merit of the ball. Avoid unnecessary riks. If you are set and then you cut down on undue risks, the only way you can get out is if the ball behaves badly after pitching or if you get a brilliant delivery. These boys have the quality. They have the ability to do what they did today on Day 5. All these are all format players. Everybody is playing the IPL and international cricket. Your mindset is important. Your need to train your mind to play the situation. It takes mental effort more than skill,' he Test Day 4 UpdatesIndia finished Day 4 on 174/2 with KL Rahul and Shubman Gill at the crease. The duo got involved in an unbeaten 174-run stand for the third wicket after the team lost Sai Sudharsan and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first over of the innings are still trailing by 137 runs in the second innings and will have to bat out of their skins to save the Test match on Day 5. Hence, Pant's services will be required for the team as they aim to bat out the entire day to deny England a victory and keep the series alive.- EndsMust Watch
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
KL Rahul creates history, becomes second player in Asia to...
KL Rahul. (PIC - PTI) New Delhi: The tour of England has been very good so far for Indian star opener KL Rahul. He is scoring runs in almost every match. Something similar was seen in the Manchester Test as well. After scoring 46 runs in the first innings of this match, he continued his form in the second innings as well. In the second innings, the Indian team lost 2 wickets without opening the account. After this, Rahul handled the innings and once again crossed the 50-run mark. During this match, he made a big record in his name. What record did KL Rahul achieve? KL Rahul did a feat during this match, which only Sunil Gavaskar could do before this. During this match, Rahul completed 1000 runs as an opener while playing Test cricket in England. Let us tell you, he is only the second Asian opener who has scored 1000 Test runs in England. KL Rahul has done this feat in just 24 innings in the difficult conditions of England. Whereas Gavaskar had 1152 runs in 28 innings. Apart from these two players, no Asian opener has been able to do this feat in England. Who are the other players in the list? After Gavaskar and KL Rahul, Vijay Merchant and Sadiq Mohammad are the next Asian openers to score the most runs in England. Vijay Merchant scored 527 runs in 11 innings and Sadiq Mohammad scored 522 runs in 15 innings. However, Rahul has set a new benchmark by leaving these legends behind with his consistent good innings. KL Rahul now has a great chance to leave Sunil Gavaskar behind in this list. How is KL Rahul's performance in the series? This series has been quite memorable for KL Rahul so far. Playing as an opener, he has scored runs in every match. In the first match of the series, he scored 42 runs and 137 runs. At the same time, he scored 2 runs and 55 runs in the second match. Then in the third Test, he played innings of 100 runs and 39 runs. Now in the Manchester Test too, he has played an important innings for the team.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Stokes, the all-rounder that keeps on ticking
Kolkata: At Old Trafford on Saturday, Ben Stokes became the fifth captain to score a hundred and take a five-wicket haul in the same Test. The last time that happened in Test cricket, India were still six months away from winning their first World Cup. Records have a curious way of unearthing new takers but not when it comes to all-rounders, especially the kind that bowls fast. England's captain Ben Stokes acknowledges fans as he walks off the field after his dismissal on the fourth day of the fourth Test. (PTI) Which is why Stokes emulating Imran Khan while becoming only the third player to complete the double of scoring 7,000 runs and taking 200-plus wickets in Test cricket, after Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis, isn't merely an achievement, but a milestone. It's proof that allrounders aren't a dying breed yet. You couldn't have seen this coming when Stokes retired hurt on 66 due to cramps. A night's rest however made way for a more agile version of the England skipper that tried to take a tight single and almost got run out after Anshul Kamboj's throw hit the stumps at the bowler's end. Next over, Stokes skipped down the pitch and clobbered Mohammed Siraj through cover for four, signalling a shift in momentum. Following over, Siraj erred in length again and Stokes went knee down for a splendid cover driven four. England were eight wickets down by the time Stokes entered his 90s, which meant there was no question of hanging around, even though Liam Dawson was doing a fine job of holding one end. Stokes reached his first hundred in three years with a boundary — again off Siraj — took off his helmet, looked up in prayer, paused, took in the applause and shifted gears. His next 41 runs came in 34 balls, allowing England to reach 669, their fifth highest total in Tests. For Stokes to choreograph this final push after taking five wickets in 24 overs — the second highest among England bowlers after Jofra Archer — in the first innings is remarkable considering how taxing the modern game has become. Even more when you see how other teams have been struggling to produce a genuine fast bowling allrounder for a long time now, simply because of the workload. Hardik Pandya's back couldn't take it, as was the case with New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson. In this series alone, India have tinkered with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj as all-rounder. None of them have been a success, and to top it Reddy was ruled out of the last two Tests due to injury. Stokes however continues to tick along, bowling and batting as if his life depends on it. The Lord's Test witnessed a similar effort (44, 2/63, 33 & 3/48) but not similar returns, even though they were good enough for Stokes to be named Player-of-the-Match. He later shed light on what keeps him going as an allrounder. 'I've taken myself to some pretty dark places, but if bowling your country to a Test match win doesn't get you excited, I don't know what does,' Stokes had said. 'I was cooked yesterday, but the game was on the line, nothing was stopping me. I'm an all-rounder, I get four opportunities to influence the game, and if one thing doesn't click... I'd like to score more runs, but you don't have a chance to worry about anything.' This zeal to contribute in any way makes Stokes such an indispensable cricketer even though his peak as a batter hasn't quite coincided with the one as a bowler. Comparisons with Ian Botham are inevitable but unfair, yet it can't be ignored that Stokes has a better batting average and is now level with Botham on 14 hundreds. Botham's consistency as a bowler is legendary but Stokes hasn't been as lucky because of injuries that forced him to pick his battles. Given he was key to England winning the ODI World Cup in 2019 and then the reset that has fuelled an entirely new brand of Test cricket, you could say Stokes has done exceptionally well on that front.
