India’s injury-hit Test series against England has taken another serious turn. Rishabh Pant has suffered a toe fracture, ruling him out of wicketkeeping duties for the fourth Test in Manchester and leaving his participation in the final match at The Oval highly uncertain.
Pant, who took a painful blow to his toe while attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes on Day 1, was forced to retire hurt on 37. The impact left his toe bloodied and swollen, and though he later bravely walked out to bat on Day 2, the injury remains a major concern. The BCCI confirmed that Pant would not keep wickets for the remainder of the match but would bat “as per team requirements.”
To make matters worse, Ishan Kishan, who was being considered as a potential replacement behind the stumps, has also been ruled out. The Jharkhand wicketkeeper is nursing an ankle injury and is not fit to travel to the UK for the fifth and final Test.
“Ishan Kishan won’t be available to travel to England. He is not fully fit as he sustained an ankle injury. The selectors reached out to him but it has been conveyed that Ishan can’t make it,”
— a source told Hindustan Times.
With both Pant and Kishan sidelined, Dhruv Jurel remains India’s only fit specialist wicketkeeper in the main squad. Jurel, who had replaced Pant during the third Test, is now expected to keep wickets in the final match as well.
Injury List Grows for Team India
The growing list of injuries is a mounting concern for India’s team management. Pant had already picked up a finger injury during the third Test at Lord’s, preventing him from keeping in the second innings.
Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the series due to a knee injury, and pacers Akash Deep (groin) and Arshdeep Singh (finger) are also unavailable due to fitness issues.
With just one match left in the series, India finds itself in a precarious situation — forced to juggle fitness concerns while trying to hold their ground in a high-stakes contest.
