Rishabh Pant found himself under fire for playing a reverse sweep off a fast bowler that led to a severe foot injury. Pant attempted the reverse sweep off Chris, who bowled a yorker, while batting on 37 off 48 balls on the first day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. The ball landed on Pant’s right toe as he failed to connect with the bat. There was some bleeding and swelling. Despite the injury, Pant batted on the second day and managed a half-century before being dismissed by Jofra Archer. His injury rendered him unavailable for wicketkeeping duties for the second Test in a row. In the third Test at Lord’s, Pant had suffered a finger injury, which also prevented him from keeping wicket. Dhruv Jurel replaced him behind the stumps. Although Pant recovered from the finger injury and featured in the Manchester Test, he has now made himself doubtful for the fifth Test.

Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott came down heavily on Pant for his wild shot selection while facing a fast bowler and said the injury was avoidable. “It is always sad when a player gets hurt and affects his ability to play a part in the game, especially someone as talented as him. But he has only himself to blame,” Boycott told The Telegraph Podcast.

As Pant could not bat immediately after the injury, it put India in a fix as they struggled to put up a big score. India were eventually bowled out for 358. England, in reply, posted a mammoth 544/7. “They were nicely in control, batting orthodox - there was no need to try something outrageous. Rishabh tries amazing strokes. When they come off, people are astonished and cheer him, and that is the essence of his batting. But when they don’t, it can look silly,” said Boycott.

“India were building a strong position. Some might say that’s just his nature, but if he can’t bat in both innings, it might cost India the match. He’s that important,” he added.

The incident, meanwhile, sparked a fresh debate about like-for-like replacements in Test cricket. Speaking to TalkSport Cricket, former England batter David Lloyd said: “I’m probably against runners, but I’m in favour of substitutes for external injuries. It does open a can of worms, but if it’s a break and medically he’s out for six weeks, then maybe a like-for-like replacement is worth considering. Not something like replacing a batter with a spinner, though.”