India all-rounder Shardul Thakur praised Rishabh Pant’s immense pain-bearing capacity after he battled through his injury to bat for the team on Day 2 of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. Pant fractured his toe late on Day 1, while attempting to play a reverse sweep against Chris Woakes. The wicketkeeper batter was immediately taken off the field and went to hospital for scans.
However, Pant earned everyone’s respect as he walked out to bat on Day 2 after the fall of Shardul Thakur’s wicket in the first session. After the end of the day’s play, Thakur spoke about the atmosphere in the dressing room when Pant walked out to bat and praised his grit.
“We were quite excited to see how he would approach his innings, and in my opinion, what he showed today — the spirit he displayed for the team — is unmatched. We’ve seen many such instances previously too, where players have batted even with fractures. One such moment, I think, was in the South African team when Graeme Smith batted with a fractured hand. So in these moments, it’s the player’s grit that truly matters,” said Thakur in the press conference at the end of the day’s play.
Furthermore, he hailed his pain-bearing capacity, saying that he doesn’t let injuries affect him.
“And Rishabh’s positivity and grit — I believe that’s what keeps him away from all the pain and whatever suffering he might be going through. His pain-bearing capacity is quite high — that I can say for sure. If he’s actually feeling pain, then it must be a really serious injury — only then he could feel the pain,” he added.
Pant resumed his innings on 37 and was given a loud applause by the crowd as he walked out to bat on Day 2. England captain Ben Stokes was consistently targeting his foot but the southpaw stood tall and completed his half-century with a help of a massive six and a boundary through the off side. He was finally dismissed on 54 after Jofra Archer thrashed his stumps.
