Ravi Shastri feels Rishabh Pant shouldn’t play 4th Test if he can’t keep wickets

Former Indian head coach and commentator Ravi Shastri feels the Indian keeper-batter and vice-captain Rishabh Pant should miss the Manchester Test if he doesn’t recover in time for the game starting on Wednesday, July 23.

Notably, Pant injured his finger on the opening day of the Lord’s Test and didn’t keep wickets for the remainder of the game, with Dhruv Jurel filling his place as a keeper. However, Pant went on to bat, scoring 74 runs in the first innings and nine runs in the second innings.

Shastri asserted that if Pant doesn’t keep wickets in Manchester, he shouldn’t be a part of the playing XI as he has to field, and that could aggravate his injury without gloves. Also, Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate also stated that Pant is fit enough to bat in the fourth Test.

"He'll have to field, and if he fields, that'll be worse. With the gloves, at least there's some protection. Without gloves, if he gets something that stings him there, then it won't be very good. It'll worsen the injury. He’ll have to keep and he’ll have to bat. He can’t do one of the two. If it’s a fracture, he should rest and be ready for The Oval. But if not, he has about nine days to recover," Shastri told ICC.

It's important to note that Pant has started the opening Test in Leeds with twin centuries (134 and 118), emerging as the first Indian batter to score two centuries in a Test in England. He also emerged as the second keeper-batter after Andy Flower to achieve this feat.

Later, he scored 25, 65, 74, and 9 in the Birmingham and Lord's Tests. He is currently the second-leading run-scorer with 425 runs from six innings at an average of 70.83.

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