Amidst the plethora of injuries in the Indian camp, there has been a beacon of hope for the team ahead of the fourth Test in Manchester. Vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who is one of the players under the injury cloud, executed a full length batting and wicket-keeping session during training on Monday (July 21).
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From the videos posted by the Press Trust of India (PTI), Pant was seen batting for an extended period of time with no noticeable discomfort. Last week, particularly during the Lord's Test, the left-hander batted amidst a finger injury that he had sustained during the first innings of the match. While he managed things while batting in the first innings, the injury flared up considerably when he batted in the second innings. Ultimately, he spent most of his short stay at the crease by frequently taking his bottom hand off while playing a stroke. His struggle at the crease ended when a pacy Jofra Archer delivery snuck past him to destroy the off stump.
Since then, there have been speculations about Pant's availability for the Manchester Test. With India trailing 1-2, there is all to play for at Old Trafford and the team management might have already thought of risking the southpaw as a specialist batter alone. However, that would mean picking Dhruv Jurel too, as he could be the one donning the gloves for the game. Jurel did do the substitute keeper's role at Lord's once Pant got injured but an internal injury may not guarantee a substitute according to the ICC's rule book. In which case, India would have to play both keepers if Pant isn't fully fit.
However, if the latest visuals are anything to go by, Pant's recovery seems to be brisk and he could play as a proper wicket-keeper batter for the fourth Test that begins on Wednesday (July 23). Apart from Pant, the other batters who spent time in the nets were Karun Nair, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. Jasprit Bumrah led the bowling pack with an active stint of his own, hinting at his probable presence in the fourth Test. While the BCCI medical staff have layed down an imperative advice of not playing successive Tests, the eight-day break between Lord's and Old Trafford coupled with the series scoreline means that Bumrah is likely to play.
India will, however, have other problems to contend with, regarding their team combination. Seamers Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh are injured while all-rounder Nitish Reddy has already been ruled out of the series with a knee injury. It remains to be seen how the captain-coach duo of Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir resolve matters in such a crisis scenario.
