As Rishabh Pant returned to the dugout after playing one of the bravest Test knocks, social media was flooded with posts praising his resolve and never-say-die attitude.
Rishabh Pant, who limped off the field with a fractured metatarsal on Day 1 of the fourth Test in Manchester, stunned the cricketing world on Thursday as he hobbled in to resume batting.
The storied Old Trafford fell silent for a moment when the flamboyant southpaw, who was retired hurt after being struck by a Chris Woakes toe-crusher, came out to bat following the dismissal of Shardul Thakur. After a few second of stunned disbelief, the crowd rose to their feet and burst into cheers.
Pant was batting on 37 off 48 balls when he was forced to leave the field on Wednesday. The southpaw received on-field medical attention but had to be stretchered off immediately.
He scored 17 more runs on Day 2 and brought up his fifty in style with an elegant punch through cover for a boundary off England skipper Ben Stokes. In the previous over, he had hit Jofra Archer for a massive six over the mid-wicket boundary.
Pant's resolute knock of 54 off 75 balls, which contained three fours and two sixes, finally ended as Archer had his revenge with a nip-backer that breached his defence.
As he returned to the dugout after playing one of the bravest Test knocks, social media was flooded with posts praising his resolve and never-say-die attitude.
"Here comes Rishabh Pant... A classy reception from the Emirates Old Trafford crowd," posted the official X handle of England Cricket with a video of Pant hobbling down the stairs.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan acknowledged his fighting spirit by saying, "Rishabh Pant, you fighter."
Former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta recalled another iconic moment of courage in Indian cricket history to put Pant's act into perspective.
"I had seen Anil Kumble come out to bowl with a broken jaw in Antigua and didn't think I would see anything like that again. But this Rishabh Pant act of courage is right up there. Just Rishabh being Rishabh," he wrote.
Sanjiv Goenka, owner of Lucknow Super Giants, the IPL side captained by Pant, was also showered praises on the left-hander, who returned to cricket after a horrific card accident in 2022.
"Not just talent. This is character. Salute," he posted on X.
The BCCI has confirmed that Rishabh Pant will not keep wickets for the remainder of the Manchester Test but he would be available to bat if required.
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