IND vs NZ: Rishabh Pant hobbled off the field on Day 2 on Thursday. (BCCI)
India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant’s absence on the field extended to Day 3 of the first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday.
Pant, who made his return to red-ball cricket last month after his long injury layoff due to the car accident in December 2022, suffered a knock on his knee while wicket-keeping on Day 2 on Thursday. Following India’s abysmal batting display where they were bundled for 46 as Pant top-scored with 20, the India wicketkeeper picked up the injury in the 37th over the visitor’s innings.
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Pant missed a stumping chance against Devon Conway off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling and got hit on the knee after he failed to collect the ball. He went off the field immediately and was replaced by Dhruv Jurel for the remainder of the day.
India captain Rohit Sharma later told reporters that Pant suffered a swelling on his operated knee and could return the next day.
However, the BCCI medical team updated on Friday morning that Pant will not wickets on the third day.
“Unfortunately, the ball hit straight on his knee cap, the same leg on which he has got a surgery done. So he has got a bit of swelling on it,” Rohit said after play on Day 2 in Bengaluru. “And you know the muscles are quite tender at this point in time, so it’s a precautionary measure. We don’t want to take a risk. Rishabh doesn’t want to take a risk because he has gone through a massive surgery on that particular leg. That was the reason for him to go inside. Hopefully, at night he can recover and we will see him back on the field tomorrow,” he added.
