Rishabh Pant has stared the afterlife in the face and lived to tell the tale, so he knows a thing or two about pain. To see him in so much discomfort on the cricket field isn’t rare, either.
Why, just a fortnight ago, he was forced to leave the ground after taking a severe blow to the tip of his left index finger while trying to gather a Jasprit Bumrah delivery that swung wickedly after passing the stumps on day one of the Lord’s Test, an injury that prevented him from donning the big gloves for the rest of the match.
Pant’s place in the Indian scheme of things needs no reiteration. India need him as their stumper, of course. Shubman Gill relies heavily on him for angles when it comes to field placements and for DRS calls; the team depends hugely on his constant, benign but witty chirps. More than anything else, though, India love what he brings with the bat. Measured mayhem, balanced bedlam – if any of these things exist, if any of these terms make sense. Pant can occasionally be as much his own side’s nightmare as the opposition’s, but India won’t trade him for anything in the world.
Now, there is the genuine prospect of India having to go through the Old Trafford Test without his mercurial, dynamic, inspirational presence in front of and behind the sticks. If Pant is rendered hors de combat by the injury to his right foot sustained on Wednesday when he edged the ball onto his toe while attempting to reverse sweep Chris Woakes, it will be a humongous setback for a side desperate to draw level in a series they trail 1-2.
Pant looked in obvious and massive pain immediately after he deflected the ball onto the unprotected area on the outside of his right foot, just below the big toe. As he hobbled around in great discomfort, the physio sprinted out to attend to him. It was immediately clear that this was no minor impact injury; when the right boot came off, there was a swelling the size of a table tennis ball, with a smattering of blood thrown in for good measure.
No one was in any doubt that Pant would not be able to resume his innings immediately. He tried to limp off the ground but was unable to put any weight on his right leg. Eventually, he was taken off in a buggy, his face contorted in unspeakable suffering. He quickly exited the ground to a nearby hospital for scans that should confirm the obvious. What that will mean in the context of the game, if not the series that will culminate at The Oval next week, remains to be seen.
If Pant is unable to take any further part in this match as a batter, India will be allowed a substitute wicketkeeper, like at Lord’s when Dhruv Jurel stood in – it will take away the most influential force of the batting group. Pant is capable of the outrageous, as he has illustrated numerous times over the last eight years as an international cricketer. And the scary part (for the opposition) is that what is outrageous to the rest is far removed from that for him.
On this tour, the 27-year-old deputy to Gill has shown more restraint than in the past, which has made him that much more dangerous. The reverse sweep that brought him so much grief on Wednesday might indicate otherwise, but Pant has chosen his moments superbly; he has picked the bowlers and the balls to go after astutely, and he has been careful in deciding when to unleash the beast in him.
All of this has translated to 462 runs in three and a quarter Tests – only Gill, with 619, has more runs from both sides put together – at a Pant-esque strike-rate of 78.30. His ability to effortlessly transfer pressure and seize momentum is unparalleled, the fear factor that accompanies him to the crease unmatched for the sheer consistency with which he embraces the remarkable.
How much will India miss Pant, should he be ruled out of the Test? That answer doesn’t need a degree in rocket science. Will that impact the team’s chances of drawing abreast on a two-paced surface of uneven bounce? Potentially yes, though India do possess the batting depth that can help them tide over most eventualities.
Pant has exemplified grit and gumption and courage and determination so many times that they have come to be taken for granted, almost. If there is even the slightest chance of him being able to stand on his two feet steadily, he will be back in action. If not, he will be with his mates on the park in spirit, whilst being sat in the dressing room. Not quite the same as him chattering away behind the stumps. Definitely not.