<p>Manchester: For someone who survived near fatal accident, defying an injury must be like a child’s play. When <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rishabh-pant">Rishabh Pant</a> was struck flush on his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes on the opening day of the fourth Test, the immediate prognosis didn’t look great, even to the naked eye.</p>.<p>He was bleeding, the ankle had swollen and the wicketkeeper was unable to place his injured foot on the ground. Such was the pain — and he can bear a lot of it — that he constantly kept grimacing before being driven off in a buggy. Speculations arose overnight that the vice-captain had fractured his metatarsal bones — the BCCI is yet to reveal the real extent of the injury — and he’s been ruled out of the series with doctors advising six to eight weeks of rest and rehabilitation.</p>.<p>The rumour mills started swirling more when Pant was not seen with his team-mates during training on Thursday morning. Some even suggested Ishan Kishan is set to be flown in as cover for Dhruv Jurel. But when the Board put out a post on X a little after play started saying the injured Pant ‘will be available to bat as per team’s requirements’, it took everyone by surprise. Even by Pant’s standards, it was astonishing. </p>.Like Kumble's broken jaw, Pant batting with broken foot will be remembered for 50 years: Manjrekar.<p>Yes, his return to cricket from the jaws of death after suffering a horrific car accident in December 2022 is one of sports’ greatest survival tales, but batting less than a day after being left with bleeding feet and a swollen leg? It takes courage and character, something which the great Anil Kumble exhibited when he turned up to bowl with a broken jaw during the Test against the West Indies in Antigua in 2002 after being hit by a Mervyn Dillon bouncer while batting. And Pant showed what a fighter he is by laying his battered and bruised body on the line for the sake of the team that left the cricketing in utter amazement.</p>.<p>Moment Thakur edged Stokes in the 102nd over, cameras — both of broadcasters and the sold-out crowd at Old Trafford — panned on Pant. He was in deep pain, but he masked it as much as he could. He struggled to climb down the stairs, but he still made his way down, then looked heavenwards soon after crossing the boundary ropes before gingerly making his way to the crease. Literally everyone stood up and applauded for Pant, whose willingness to bat with a broken foot will go down as one of the heroic efforts ever.</p>
<p>Manchester: For someone who survived near fatal accident, defying an injury must be like a child’s play. When <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rishabh-pant">Rishabh Pant</a> was struck flush on his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes on the opening day of the fourth Test, the immediate prognosis didn’t look great, even to the naked eye.</p>.<p>He was bleeding, the ankle had swollen and the wicketkeeper was unable to place his injured foot on the ground. Such was the pain — and he can bear a lot of it — that he constantly kept grimacing before being driven off in a buggy. Speculations arose overnight that the vice-captain had fractured his metatarsal bones — the BCCI is yet to reveal the real extent of the injury — and he’s been ruled out of the series with doctors advising six to eight weeks of rest and rehabilitation.</p>.<p>The rumour mills started swirling more when Pant was not seen with his team-mates during training on Thursday morning. Some even suggested Ishan Kishan is set to be flown in as cover for Dhruv Jurel. But when the Board put out a post on X a little after play started saying the injured Pant ‘will be available to bat as per team’s requirements’, it took everyone by surprise. Even by Pant’s standards, it was astonishing. </p>.Like Kumble's broken jaw, Pant batting with broken foot will be remembered for 50 years: Manjrekar.<p>Yes, his return to cricket from the jaws of death after suffering a horrific car accident in December 2022 is one of sports’ greatest survival tales, but batting less than a day after being left with bleeding feet and a swollen leg? It takes courage and character, something which the great Anil Kumble exhibited when he turned up to bowl with a broken jaw during the Test against the West Indies in Antigua in 2002 after being hit by a Mervyn Dillon bouncer while batting. And Pant showed what a fighter he is by laying his battered and bruised body on the line for the sake of the team that left the cricketing in utter amazement.</p>.<p>Moment Thakur edged Stokes in the 102nd over, cameras — both of broadcasters and the sold-out crowd at Old Trafford — panned on Pant. He was in deep pain, but he masked it as much as he could. He struggled to climb down the stairs, but he still made his way down, then looked heavenwards soon after crossing the boundary ropes before gingerly making his way to the crease. Literally everyone stood up and applauded for Pant, whose willingness to bat with a broken foot will go down as one of the heroic efforts ever.</p>