Rishabh Pant moves in his own way. Last month he opted for a somersault over the standard bat wave to celebrate his first-innings hundred at Headingley. He will happily tumble to the ground when playing a paddle sweep, a wild but methodical shot. After a life-threatening car crash in December 2022, he was given an 18-month recovery timeline. He told the doctor he wanted to do it in 12. And when Chris Woakes went full on day one, Pant opted for a reverse sweep, a shot no one else would have even considered.
Cue the ball thundering into his right boot via an inside edge, an egg rising from the foot. A golf cart wheeled him off the field and, it seemed, out of the series. Reports on Thursday morning stated a fractured metatarsal, yet India’s only update in the opening session was that Dhruv Jurel would keep wicket for the rest of the match, with Pant “available to bat as per team requirements”. Maybe he would give it a whack with one wicket left or India would have enough to let him rest until the second innings.
Instead, the requirement was to get him in quick. At half past 12, the departure of Shardul Thakur – with four wickets left in India’s innings – prompted Pant’s pained descent down the changing room staircase and crawl to the wicket, Old Trafford rising for him.
Test cricket, with its distaste for substitutes, is familiar with these moments. There’s Graeme Smith walking out with a fractured hand to try to save a match in Sydney, Nathan Lyon shuffling to the crease at Lord’s with a torn calf. There’s Colin Cowdrey with his busted arm and Anil Kumble, a bandage wrapped around his face, bowling with a broken jaw.
These feats are commemorated, the players applauded for their bravery, and they make for undoubtedly great stories. They can be incredibly unnecessary, too. Your foot’s cooked, Rishabh. Pack on the ice and sit this one out. It’s only a game.
But out he came, shorn off the ability to skip down the pitch with his usual showmanship, ready to hobble for ones with Washington Sundar. This being Pant, his extraordinary hand-eye coordination allowed for a standout passage of play either side of the lunch break.
He cut Ben Stokes for his first run of the day, shortly after a glove-rattler from the England captain. He struck full tosses as England searched for the yorker. He was quick to pick up Jofra Archer’s back-of-the-hand slower ball, the pull sending it for an outrageous six.
The greatest stroke was to come off Stokes, the feet still as he extended his arms outside off, the ball middled through the covers to bring up his half-century. Only Shubman Gill has more runs on this tour, with Pant crossing 50 in all four games. He has more runs than any other wicketkeeper in a Test series in England (though Jurel did most of the glovework at Lord’s after Pant hurt his finger).
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It took some decent nip away from Archer to make Pant’s off-stump dance on 54, 17 runs added to his day-one score, 35 to India’s total, supporters rising again to applaud the end of the show.
It was also uncomfortable to watch, posing the moral question of whether it should be enjoyed. Stokes swung a couple towards Pant’s feet, threatening to revive the agony of Wednesday. Those watching were grateful for the replays, the ball shown to be hitting the pad instead. The bat was a useful walking stick as he made his way to the other end, on occasion threatening to burst into a jog. It was a relief to see him escape without another blow to the boot.
Naturally these moments invite the question of whether injury replacements, beyond a concussion, or even tactical ones should be permitted in Tests. They would eliminate the danger of these scenarios and ease the mind when a player goes down on day one. The remaining days wouldn’t have to be so uneven. But while that’s logical, the quirks – including the test of endurance – make this game what it is. Right or wrong, Pant’s 17 will stick in the mind for a long time to come.
