India are anxiously awaiting the results of scans on Rishabh Pant’s right foot that could have considerable “consequences” on the fourth Rothesay Test against England.
Pant brought trademark chaos after India had slipped from 94 without loss to 140 for three at Emirates Old Trafford, slog sweeping Jofra Archer for four and belting Brydon Carse for a straight six.
But he inside-edged a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes’ yorker flush on to his boot, which he removed to reveal a foot that became increasingly swollen and bruised as he received lengthy treatment.
Pant, who has made 462 runs at 77 in this series, retired hurt on 37 and was taken off the field in agony on a golf buggy, leaving his availability for the rest of the Test in major doubt.
He went for scans and Sai Sudharsan, who top-scored with 61 in India’s 264 for four and was at the other end when Pant was injured, admitted the tourists are waiting with baited breath on the outcome.
“He was in a lot of pain,” Sudharsan said. “He’s gone for scans and we’ll get to know overnight.
“He was batting really well here. We miss a batter if he doesn’t come back again, so it would definitely have consequences. We’ll try to give our best and bat long so that we negotiate that loss.”
England spinner Liam Dawson, who marked his first Test appearance in eight years by taking the prize wicket of India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for 58, believes Pant’s situation is bleak.
“Our thoughts are with him, it didn’t look a great injury so I hope he’s alright,” Dawson said. “He’s obviously a very good player but I can’t see him taking much more part in this game.”
Dawson admitted he thought his hopes of an England recall had vanished before Shoaib Bashir’s Test summer was ended by a finger injury he sustained in last week’s nail-biting win at Lord’s.
The 35-year-old claimed figures of one for 45 from 15 overs, having Jaiswal caught at slip for his first Test wicket in 2,929 days since dismissing ex-South Africa batter Hashim Amla at Trent Bridge.
“I’ve said to a few people that the age I’m at, I thought Test cricket was gone,” Dawson said. “To be back involved is really cool and I’ve got to try and enjoy each day that I get.
“I do feel I’m a better bowler than what I was a few years ago. I was nervous. I’d not played for a number of years. The biggest thing for me is I understood what to expect whereas before, I didn’t.
“Hopefully I’ll get a couple more. It’s one wicket, I’ve done nothing special.”
However, Ashes 2005-winning captain Michael Vaughan has seen enough to convince him Dawson, rather than Bashir, should be England’s frontline spinner for this winter’s blockbuster Ashes series in Australia.
It is Dawson’s all-round abilities – he has more than 10,000 first-class runs with 18 hundreds and is regarded as a fine fielder – that makes him such an attractive option for Vaughan.
“He is a good cricketer,” Vaughan told the BBC’S Test Match Special. “He has been around the blocks. He knows his game. You could see that from the first ball he bowled.
“I think England are a better team with him in the side. On the pitches we are seeing in the UK and potentially Australia, I want to see a batting line-up that is absolutely packed.
“He has the all-round package and for this England side, and going forward to Australia, they are stronger with this style of cricketer in it.”
