India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant’s courage was on full display as he came out to bat on Day 2 of the Manchester Test against England despite having a fractured toe.
The southpaw sustained the injury during the first day’s play when he tried to reverse sweep Chris Woakes’ delivery and was hit right on the boot.
Pant was grimacing in pain and had to be taken off the field on a golf cart. The Indian vice-captain was batting on 37 when he got injured.
After India lost Shardul Thakur for 41 in the first session on Day 2, Pant arrived in the middle. He hobbled his way down the pavilion to enter field amidst a loud cheer from the Manchester crowd.
Pant fought through the pain to score a gritty 54, helping the visitors reach 358 before being dismissed. Through his innings, he visibly struggled to run between the wickets.
Meanwhile, social media was abuzz when a video emerged showing Ben Stokes carefully observing Rishabh Pant’s limp after a single, glancing at the toe before resetting his field. What followed was anything but sympathetic.
Stokes unleashed a barrage of yorker-length deliveries to target Pant’s fractured toe. It was a brutal tactic from the England skipper and while it caused discomfort but couldn’t dislodge the wicketkeeper-batter.
Here's how fans reacted to England targeting Pant's toe:
Coming to the match, England reached 225/2 in just 46 overs at stumps on the back of a fiery 166-run opening stand between Ben Duckett (94) and Zak Crawley (84). Oille Pope (20*) and Joe Root (11*) were the two unbeaten batters and will resume innings on the third day.
