Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra hailed Rishabh Pant for coming out to bat with a fractured toe on the second day of the fourth Test match against England. Pant was hit on his right foot by Chris Woakes on the opening day at Old Trafford while trying to play a reverse sweep.
The left-hander was seen wincing in pain and had to be taken off the field in a golf cart. After scans, it was revealed by the medical team had Pant had fractured his toe and he was advised to take six weeks’ rest.
BCCI updated that Dhruv Jurel will take the gloves in Pant’s place but confirmed that the latter could bat if needed by the team.
After Ravindra Jadeja’s dismissal, Pant walked to bat with a standing ovation from the Old Trafford crowd. Chopra recalled that Pant had defeated death when he suffered multiple injuries in a near-fatal car accident and a toe injury is a small thing for him.
“The first talking point is Rishabh Pant and his spirit. He reminded me of Anil bhai, who bowled with a broken jaw in Antigua and picked up a wicket. It wasn’t necessary, but he did it. Here, Rishabh Pant wasn’t able to walk or stand and was taken out in a cart,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“An MRI and X-ray were done, and we came to know that he has been ruled out for six weeks. Forget this match, the guy was out of the entire series. However, he said he would bat. How will you break a guy whose spirit is unbreakable? If someone has defeated death, how will he accept defeat over such small things?” he added.
Chopra highlighted that Pant himself decided to bat despite his injury, which shows he has a big heart.
“The choice was given to him. He was asked whether he would be able to play because in all such situations, no one asks you to go and play. They leave it to you because sport has its place, but sport is just a small part of life. Sport is not life. Life is much bigger than that,” he said.
The renowned commentator stated Pant deserves all the respect for putting the team in front.
“However, when a player is standing against all odds, he thinks he needs to do that for his country. Mad, mad respect for you. He won my heart, and not only mine. Everyone at the Old Trafford ground stood up and applauded him. I wasn’t surprised but slightly sad that England were trying to hit his legs. You try to hit a player where he is injured, but he played a few good shots despite that,” Chopra observed.
Pant scored 54 runs and helped India breach the 350-run mark.
