NEW DELHI: Indian captain Rohit Sharma addressed the concerns surrounding Rishabh Pant‘s limping during the second day of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. He clarified that the dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman’s decision to leave the field was “more as a precautionary measure”.
Pant’s exit from the field compounded India’s misery on a day they would rather forget, as they were bundled out for a paltry 46, their lowest Test total on home soil.
“Unfortunately, the ball hit straight on his knee cap, the same leg which he has done a surgery. So, he has got a little bit of swelling on it and the muscles are quite tender at this point of time,” Rohit told in the post-day press meet.
“It is a precautionary measure. We do not want to take a risk. Rishabh does not want to take a risk because he has gone through a massive surgery on that particular leg,” he added.
Pant, who made a comeback to cricket following a period of recovery from the severe injuries he suffered in a terrible car crash in December 2022, was compelled to leave the field due to a knee injury.
The incident occurred when Pant was batting during the 38th over of New Zealand’s first innings on Thursday, and he was hit on the knee by a ball bowled by Ravindra Jadeja.
Upon being struck, the team’s physiotherapists promptly rushed to Pant’s aid to assess the extent of the injury and provide necessary treatment. The wicketkeeper-batter’s condition was immediately attended to by the medical staff present at the ground.
This 46 all-out, which saw five batters dismissed for ducks, marked the first time India failed to surpass the 50-run mark in a Test innings at home.
Additionally, it was only the second occasion in which five Indian batters went without scoring against New Zealand in a home Test, the first being during the Mohali Test in 1999.
India’s previous record for the lowest Test innings total at home – 75 – was set nearly 37 years ago against the West Indies in Delhi.
