Rishabh Pant out of England series with fractured toe

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was on Thursday ruled out of the ongoing Test series against England after fracturing his toe on the opening day of the fourth Test here, compounding the visiting side’s injury woes.

The 27-year-old Pant retired hurt at 37 and went for scans after copping a blow on his right foot while attempting a reverse sweep off England pacer Chris Woakes on Wednesday.

“He is ruled out for the next six weeks. Ishan Kishan will be called in as cover,” a BCCI source said.

India have already lost all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy to a knee problem, while pacers Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh are missing the ongoing game because of a groin niggle and a finger injury respectively.

Pant’s ouster adds to the problems for the team which is trailing 1-2 right now.

Blood was seen seeping off Pant’s right foot, and the affected area had considerable swelling as well.

Kishan, who recently played two County matches for Nottinghamshire, 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.

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The think tank can also ask KL Rahul to keep wickets, but he has not performed that role since the tour of South Africa in the 2023-24 season.

Dhruv Jurel, the other wicketkeeper in the squad, was not picked for the current match.

This was the second injury for Pant in this series as he had bruised his finger while keeping during the third Test at the Lord’s, which prevented him from guarding the stumps in England’s second innings.

The flamboyant player made his comeback to international cricket only last year after surviving a life-threatening car crash in 2022.