India suffered a massive blow in the third session of Day 1 of the Manchester Test against England. Keeper-batter Rishabh Pant hurt his foot and was carried off in a medical cart. He couldn’t walk, and that raised the question of whether the 27-year-old would play the remainder of the match. He was already dealing with a finger injury ahead of the match, and there was a possibility of him missing the match.
On a day when Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan scored a half-century each, Pant’s injury was the biggest highlight, given what he brings to the middle. He is a key member of the batting unit and in case the Haridwar-born is ruled out, things will get complicated for the visitors.
Meanwhile, the day started with Ben Stokes winning the toss and electing to bowl first. Interestingly, no one has ever won a Test match after opting to bowl first at Old Trafford but England seem to have taken up the challenge. However, Jaiswal and KL Rahul handed India a perfect start with the bat as the Shubman Gill-led side didn’t lose any wickets in the first session.
Soon after Lunch, Rahul departed after scoring 46, and the onus fell on Jaiswal and Sudharsan, who kept the scoreboard ticking. In the 41st over of the game, the opener departed for 58 runs after Liam Dawson picked up his first Test wicket in eight years. Jaiswal edged and Harry Brook picked up a comfortable catch.
Stokes stole the show with the ball
Since then, skipper Stokes has been terrific with the ball. He dismissed Gill for 16 and later sent Sudharsan back to the pavilion after the latter scored 61 runs. The day ended with Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur batting on 19 each. India have Washington Sundar, who can add a few more runs before the tail begins.
However, the team will sincerely pray that Pant recovers from the injury and returns with the bat, if not keep wickets as well, given what the cricketer brings to the table. The day ended with India being 264/4 - something that neither team will mind.
