"Rishabh Pant Has Only Himself To Blame": England Great Tears Into Injured India Star
Rishabh Pant's foot injury has left a huge void in Team India's batting lineup in the ongoing Manchester Test against England.
- Rishabh Pant fractured his foot during Day 1 of the Manchester Test against England
- Former England batter Geoffrey Boycott criticised Pant's risky shot selection as the cause of his injury
- "But he has only himself to blame," said Boycott, questioning Pant's short selection in that situation
Rishabh Pant's foot injury has left a huge void in Team India's batting lineup in the ongoing Manchester Test against England. Pant, who was retired hurt after fracturing his foot on Day 1, walked out to bat on Day 2 despite being in visible pain. He batted for a while and completed his half-century before Jofra Archer uprooted his stumps with a peach of a delivery. It is not clear whether Pant will bat in the second innings. England great Geoffrey Boycott shared his views on Pant's injury, saying that while it was an unfortunate incident, the player has no one but himself to blame.
"It is always sad when a player gets hurt and affects his ability to play a part in the game. Especially someone as talented as him. But he has only himself to blame," Boycott said on The Telegraph Podcast.
Boycott pointed out that there was no need for Pant to play that short considering how India were in control at that moment.
"They were nicely in control, batting orthodox, there was no need to try something outrageous. Rishabh tries amazing strokes. When they come off, people are astonished and he is cheered, and that is the essence of his batting. But occasionally when it does not, it can look silly. India, yesterday, was getting themselves to an excellent batting position. On one hand, many would say that is his nature, but on the other hand, him not batting in both innings might cost India the match. It will affect the runs they could add to that innings. He is that good," he added.
Pant was batting at 37 on Day 1 when he was injured while attempting to reverse sweep a Chris Woakes yorker, which ended up hitting him on the toe and resulted in a reported fracture on his right foot.
Pant's injury once again sparked the debate of whether substitutes should be allowed for injuries in Test cricket. Former England batter David Lloyd was in favour of the idea in case of an external injury like Pant.
"I probably am against runners, but I am pro substitutes for an external injury. It opens up a can of worms, it really does. But if it is an external injury, a break, and medically he isn't going to be fit for six weeks, you could have a like-for-like substitute. So that's something else that you've got to consider. Not like replacing a batter with a spinner, though," said Lloyd while speaking to TalkSport Cricket.
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Rishabh Pant