This was the second injury sustained by Pant in the ongoing series as he had bruised his left index finger while keeping during the third Test at Lord's.
India's wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was taken off the field after copping a blow on his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep off England pacer Chris Woakes on the opening day of the fourth Test in Manchester on Wednesday.
Pant was batting on 37 off 48 balls when he was forced to leave the field. The southpaw received on-field medical attention but had to be stretchered off immediately.
"Rishabh Pant was hit on his right foot while batting on Day 1 of the Manchester Test. He was taken for scans from the stadium. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress," the BCCI said in statement after the end of the day's play.
The incident occurred late in the final session, when Woakes sent in a searing yorker that beat Pant’s attempted no-look sweep and struck him flush on the foot.
The England players went up in appeal for leg before but a tiny inside edge on the review saved the day for Pant.
India's No. 3 batter Sai Sudharsan, who hit his maiden Test fifty on Day 1, said if Pant is ruled out of the series, it will be a big blow for the visitors.
"Obviously, because he (Pant) was batting really well. So, it will definitely have consequences. However, we'll try and give our best and bat as long as possible," Sudharsan said at the post-day press conference.
This was the second injury sustained by Pant in the ongoing series as he had hurt his left index finger while keeping during the third Test at Lord's.
Dhruv Jurel had kept the wickets then as a substitute. In case Pant cannot keep wickets in this Test, then India can summon Jurel again for keeping but his effort at the Lord's was underwhelming as he conceded 26 byes in England's second innings.
In the unfortunate eventuality of Pant getting ruled out of the remainder of the series, the management can request the services of Ishan Kishan, who recently played two County matches for Nottinghamshire.
He was also a part of the India A squad that faced the England Lions ahead of the Test series, though the 26-year-old did not appear in any of the two matches.
The think tank can also ask K L Rahul to keep wickets, but he has not done that duty since the tour of South Africa in the 2023-24 season.
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