Ahead of a do-or-die fourth Test against England in Manchester, India are sweating over the availability of vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who suffered a left index finger injury while keeping in Lord’s Test. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate hinted that Pant might play as a specialist batter in Manchester after what he did with the bat despite his injury at Lord’s. Ten Doeschate said at the press conference “He will bat in Manchester before the Test. I don’t think you’re gonna keep Rishabh out of the Test no matter what. He batted with quite a lot of pain in the 3rd Test, and it’s only going to get easier on his finger.
“Keeping is obviously the last part of the process to make sure that he can keep. We don’t want to go through that again where we have to replace the keeper halfway through in the innings. But he rested today. We’re just trying to give his finger as long as possible and hopefully he’s good to go in Manchester in the first training session,” said ten Doeschate in a press conference, on the sidelines of India’s practice session at Beckenham.
He added In Pant’s absence, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel took up the keeping duties at Lord’s. Ten Doeschate did say Jurel was in the mix for Manchester if Pant isn’t fully fit. “He is in the equation. But I mean, obviously, if Rishabh is fit, he plays the next Test and does both,” Pant, who made 74 and nine at Lord’s was in visible pain after being hit on left index finger and did not keep wickets for the rest of the Test.
Skipper Shubman Gill had said Pant will be fit to play in Manchester. “He will bat in Manchester before the Test.
With India now 1-2 behind in the five-match series, ten Doeschate said the side is aiming to improve on the pattern of losing wickets in a heap, something which has hurt them in their losses at Headingley and Lord’s.
India are playing a Test match in Manchester after 11 years, which brings an element of newness for a majority of team members. “I’m not sure Manchester is the same as Manchester of 10-15 years ago.
Speaking to the media on Thursday after India’s first training session for the fourth Test, Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed Bumrah’s inclusion.
“We’ll make that call in Manchester. We know we’ve got him for one of the last two Tests. I think it’s pretty obvious the series is on the line now in Manchester, so there will be a leaning towards playing him,” he said. If Bumrah play this will be Bumrah’s first appearance at the Old Trafford.
