TimesofIndia.com in Manchester: India suffered a major setback on Day 1 of the 4th Test at Old Trafford as Rishabh Pant was forced to retire hurt after getting hit on the right foot. The wicketkeeper-batter, who was batting confidently on 37 off 48 balls, was injured while trying to play a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes. The injury came soon after the dismissal of captain Shubman Gill. Pant missed the shot completely and the ball struck him hard on the boot. England appealed for LBW, but the on-field umpire gave it not out. UltraEdge confirmed a faint under-edge, saving Pant from being dismissed, but he was clearly in pain after the impact.
Pant fell to the ground in discomfort, and medical attention was given as umpires called for drinks. There was swelling and some bleeding on his right foot, and he couldn’t stand. He was helped off the field by the physio, and a medical cart was used to take him away. Shubman Gill came to the medical centre to see Rishabh Pant where he was receiving first aid. He was stretchered off, accompanied by fielding coach T Dilip, doctor and physio Yogesh Parmar, and two security staff and left the ground in an ambulance. He appeared to be in severe pain.Pant had also dealt with a finger injury earlier in the series, with Dhruv Jurel keeping wickets in the previous Test. He was expected to return behind the stumps, but this new injury puts his participation in doubt.
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Earlier in the day, India were off to a solid start with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul taking them to 78/0 at lunch. However, the second session saw the fall of quick wickets in the form of Rahul, Jaiswal, and Gill. Sai Sudharsan held firm with a gritty 61 but was eventually dismissed by Ben Stokes while playing a pull shot. Ravindra Jadeja came on to bat for India replacing Pant, and will look to steer India to a solid total alongside Shardul Thakur.
