Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant suffered a knee injury on the second day of the first Test in Bengaluru against New Zealand. While keeping, one of the deliveries from the spinners snuck under his gloves and struck him straight onto his kneecap. Pant hobbled off the field and BCCI updated on Friday (October 18) morning that he won't take part on the third day as well with Dhruv Jurel keeping wickets yet again, who substituted in for him on Thursday.
"Mr Rishabh Pant will not keep wickets on Day 3. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress," BCCI in the update on X (previously Twitter) wrote.
Pant's injury will be a huge concern for India and the team management and the fans will hope that it is nothing serious as not only India need his batting in the second innings having been bowled out for 46 in the first, but there is also the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the horizon next month.
Captain Rohit Sharma in the press conference after the second day mentioned that Pant got hit in the same leg which he got operated on after his accident and as a precautionary measure the wicketkeeper himself and the team decided not to take any risks.
"Unfortunately, the knee. The ball went and hit straight on his knee cap, the leg which he had surgery on. So, he has got a little bit of swelling on it. The muscles are bit tender at this point of time. It's a precautionary measure," Rohit said on Thursday.
"We don't want to take any risks. Rishabh did not want to take a risk. He has gone through a massive surgery on that particular leg. That was the reason for him to go inside. Hopefully, tonight he can recover and we will see him back on the field tomorrow," he added.
India will aim to bowl out New Zealand cheaply in the first innings to ensure that the Kiwis' lead doesn't get out of their reach.
