Pant scores breezy 50 after retiring hurt as he wanted to continue batting but was taken off the field by India A coach.
Rishabh Pant scores half-century after retiring hurt against South Africa A.
Prior to the first Test match against South Africa in Kolkata next week, Rishabh Pant gave India a momentary injury worry when he had to retire while batting for India A against South AfricaA due to an injury.
Fast bowler Tshepo Moreki struck Pant three times on his torso and helmet during the opening session of the third day, causing him to retire hurt on 17 off 22 balls in the 34th over of India A’s second innings.
After Harsh Dubey put on 184 for the sixth wicket and Dhruv Jurel produced an undefeated 127, he returned to bat in the final session, allaying fears of major injury. Before declaring India A’s innings at 382 for 7, Pant raced to a half-century against the spinners.
In the third over of the day, Pant came out to bat at number five after Okuhle Cele’s inducker bowled overnight batsman KL Rahul for 27, adding just one to his overnight total. Pant didn’t take long to get going; Cele was the target of his first three scoring attempts, which were 4, 4, and 6. However, a string of short deliveries caused him to wince in agony.
Pant was eager to keep batting, but as a precaution, coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar and the physiotherapists had to remove him. Every time the ball thudded against his bat, he would grimace in agony, and the tape on his elbow from getting struck there restricted his range of motion.
Pant has faced greater difficulties in the second game after demonstrating his form and fitness with a 90 in the second innings of the first four-day match that India A won last week. He was caught at slip for twenty-four after being smacked on the glove by a short ball from Moreki in the first innings.
After surgery, he had two months of rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence. He returned to training in early September and played for India A to gain some playing experience before the South Africa Tests. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel kept wickets in both the fifth Test at The Oval, which India won to tie the five-Test series at 2-2, and the two home Tests against the West Indies.
India will play two Test matches against South Africa on November 14 in Kolkata and November 22 in Guwahati, which will host Test cricket for the first time. With 61.90% points, India is now in third place in the World Test Championship standings, while South Africa is in fifth place with 50%.