If you’re an Indian cricket fan, you probably remember exactly where you were when you saw Rishabh Pant batting after injury in Manchester. Day 2 of the fourth Test wasn’t just about runs or wickets; it was about guts. Grit. Heart. Watching Pant limp out, bat in hand, was something else. We’d all assumed he was done for the match. And then boom, there he was.
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How Pant Got Injured on Day 1?
It all started on Day 1, when Pant tried one of his trademark reverse sweeps against Chris Woakes. Bad idea. He under-edged the ball straight onto his right foot, and instantly went down like he’d been hit by a truck. As the cameras zoomed in, the sock came off, and we saw it: a nasty, egg-sized lump swelling like a balloon on his foot.
Related Article：Ouch! Rishabh Pant Retired Hurt Moments After 1000 Runs in England
Rishabh Pant is driven off the field of play after suffering some severe swelling on his right foot and Ravindra Jadeja walks out to the middle… 🩹 pic.twitter.com/vJlu5CABQ8
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 23, 2025
He tried to get up but couldn’t. A buggy had to wheel him off the field. That’s how bad it was. Later scans confirmed a fractured metatarsal. Team physios and doctors said he needed six weeks of rest, minimum. The BCCI noted that Dhruv Jurel would take over the gloves. And let’s be honest, most of us thought Rishabh Pant batting after injury was now off the table.
Day 2：The Comeback Nobody Saw Coming
Fast forward to Day 2, just before lunch. India had lost Shardul Thakur. And then, suddenly, there he was. Hobbling down the stairs in whites, bat tucked under his arm, and a steely look in his eye. The Old Trafford crowd rose to their feet.
𝙂𝙧𝙞𝙩. 𝙂𝙪𝙩𝙨. 𝙂𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣!
When Old Trafford stood up to applaud a brave Rishabh Pant 🙌 🫡#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @RishabhPant17 pic.twitter.com/nxT2xZp134
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 24, 2025
Rishabh Pant batting after injury didn’t look anything like the usual showman. He couldn’t run much. He could barely walk. But he stood tall and played through the pain. He flicked Ben Stokes for his first run of the day, dealt with awkward bounce, and even launched Jofra Archer’s slower ball over square leg for six. That six, by the way, brought him level with Sehwag as India’s leading Test six-hitter in just his 47th match!
No better ASMR in cricket 🔊
Jofra Archer has Rishabh Pant’s poles flying ✈️
🇮🇳 3️⃣4️⃣9️⃣-9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/ja65MyYP6k
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 24, 2025
His half-century came with a cheeky cover drive that had no follow-through, just hand-eye magic. But Jofra Archer wasn’t done. In the 113th over, from around the wicket, Archer bowled an absolute seed; it pitched on a length, seamed away, and sent Pant’s off stump flying like it had been hit by a cyclone. The stump cartwheeled before planting itself into the turf again. Archer turned around with that silent swagger only he has. But it didn’t matter. Pant had made his point.
Pant Is Out for the Final Test
Sadly, this will be the last we see of Pant this series. The fracture rules him out of the final Test; that’s confirmed. India will stick with Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps for the Oval clash, and there’s no chance of another heroic return this time. Still, 54 off 75 balls with a broken foot? That’s the kind of knock people tell their grandkids about.
Heroic… But Was It Worth the Risk?
Look, let’s be real: we all love these warrior moments in Test cricket. Graeme Smith with a broken hand, Nathan Lyon limping with a torn calf, and now Rishabh Pant batting after injury. But was it wise? Could he have made things worse? Probably.
Resilience is about playing through pain and rising above it.@RishabhPant17 showed tremendous character by walking back into the game with an injury and delivering a performance like that.
His fifty is a powerful reminder of the grit and determination it takes to represent… pic.twitter.com/OJ7amt9OAa
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 24, 2025
He played 75 balls, ran 14 singles, and looked one misstep away from total disaster. What if Jofra Archer had hit his foot with a yorker? What if another twist had wrecked his recovery timeline? That’s where the debate lies. Still, the fact remains, this match gave us one of those rare sporting images that sticks. A player crawling through pain, putting country first, receiving love from fans of both teams. That’s Test cricket for you.
SALUTE, RISHABH PANT. 🫡🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/h4INPaub58
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 24, 2025
As Dhruv Jurel takes the gloves in the next game, and Jofra Archer keeps terrorizing stumps, Pant’s painful 54 will remain etched in memory, not just for the runs, but for the sheer madness and magic of it.
