Rishabh Pant left the field during the third part of the second day of the first Test match against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday. Indian team captain Rohit Sharma said there was no need to worry, explaining that the talented wicketkeeper-batsman went off the field “just to be safe”.
Pant had trouble catching a spinning ball from Ravindra Jadeja, who was bowling from a side angle, as it hit his knee during the 37th over of New Zealand’s first innings.
He quickly left the field with a limp and was replaced by Dhruv Jurel.
The ball hit the knee cap of his left leg, which had multiple surgeries after a serious car accident in late 2022, making the situation seem more serious.
“Sadly, the ball hit his knee cap directly, the same leg that had surgery. So, he has some swelling and the muscles are quite sensitive right now,” Rohit said during the post-day press conference.
But Rohit eased any big worries about Pant’s health and said the 27-year-old went back to the locker room just as a “safety step.”
“It’s just a safety step. We don’t want to take any chances. Rishabh doesn’t want to take any chances because he had a big surgery on that leg,” he said.
“So, that’s why he went inside. Hopefully, he can feel better tonight and we’ll see him back on the field tomorrow,” Rohit added.
Rishabh Pant, who came back to play after healing from the many injuries he got in a bad car crash in December 2022, had to stop playing because he got hit on the knee by a ball from Ravindra Jadeja in the 38th over of New Zealand’s first innings on Thursday.
