India witnessed an unforgettable day at M Chinnaswamy Stadium after being bowled out to just 46 in the first innings against New Zealand on Thursday. To make things worse, the hosts also lost their star wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant to an injury in the closing stages on Day 2 of the opening Test match in Bengaluru.
Rishabh failed to anticipate Ravindra Jadeja's delivery to Devon Conway which stayed low and landed on his right knee. Rishabh went down with a lot of pain as he had surgery done on the same leg after his horrific car accident in December 2022.
The 27-year-old cricketer walked off the field with the help of two support staff members and didn't come back for the rest of the day's play, growing India's worry for the first day and most importantly for the next Test assignment against Australia.
Capitan Rohit Sharma provided a positive injury update during the press conference at M Chinnaswamy Stadium after the day's play. Rohit confirmed that Rishabh has a swollen knee as the ball directly landed on his kneecap. Rohit also added that the management is hoping for an overnight recovery and might witness Rishabh on the field tomorrow.
"Unfortunately, the ball hit straight on his knee cap, the same leg on which he has got surgery done. So he has got a bit of swelling on it," Rohit Sharma said. "And you know the muscles are quite tender at this point in time, so it's a precautionary measure. We don't want to take a risk.
"Rishabh doesn't want to take a risk because he has gone through a massive surgery on that particular leg. That was the reason for him to go inside. Hopefully, at night he can recover and we will see him back on the field tomorrow."
