Injury scare forces India star off the field in Lord’s Test
India's in-form player was forced off the pitch after sustaining a blow on Day 1 of the third Test.
India’s flamboyant wicket-keeper-batter Rishabh Pant was replaced by substitute Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps after a blow to his finger.
A statement from the BCCI confirmed that the India vice-captain got hit on his left index finger, and is under the supervision of the medical team.
The incident took place during the 34th over of England’s innings on the opening day of the Lord’s Test, when a delivery from Jasprit Bumrah struck him on the fingers of his left hand.
The 27-year-old received immediate treatment from the Indian team’s physio and continued to keep wickets for a while.
However, in visible discomfort, Pant eventually left the field of play during the second session and was replaced by substitute keeper Jurel.
The left-handed batter has been in exquisite form, having scored 342 runs from the two Tests so far – the third-highest from a batter in this series.
Pant’s run-of-form with the bat includes two successive centuries in the first Test and a half-century in the second.
Having won the toss and electing to bat first, England lost two wickets early on Thursday with India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy nabbing a brace with the ball, removing both openers, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, in the first session.
England have since managed to recover, with the pair of Ollie Pope and Joe Root closing in on a 100-run stand.
The five-Test ICC World Test Championship is currently evenly poised at 1-1 after India bounced back emphatically at Edgbaston from the defeat in the opening encounter.