Gambhir honours Rishabh Pant's braveheart knock with fractured foot, reveals 'he put his hand up': 'Not many people…'

Gautam Gambhir hailed Rishabh Pant's brave effort as a defining moment for the current Indian team, saying his courage would lay the foundation for the team.

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir was all praise for Rishabh Pant for his courageous effort with the bat in Manchester despite his fractured foot. Pant sustained an injury on Day 1 and left the pitch in agonising pain. However, he returned to the middle to rescue India on the second day and completed his half-century, adding crucial runs to India's total and instilling a fighting mindset in the team.

Gautam Gambhir lavished massive praise on Rishabh Pant. (AP)

Pant was prepared to bat on Day 5 despite his injury, as India battled to save the match. But contributions from his teammates meant he didn’t have to return to the crease. Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar struck centuries, while KL Rahul chipped in with a crucial 90 to steady the innings.

Gambhir hailed Pant's brave effort as a defining moment for the current Indian team, saying the wicketkeeper-batter's courage would lay the foundation and character for the squad going forward.

"Rishabh already, it's been declared that he's out of the series. And one thing I want to say is that the character and the foundation of this team will be built on what Rishabh did for the team and for the country as well," said Gambhir in the post-match media interaction.

'Not many people have done that in the past'

The India head coach said what Pant did for the team, batting with a fractured foot, is not something many players have done.

"Any amount of praise is not enough for him, especially batting with a broken foot. Not many people have done that in the past. And he had put his hand up, and that is why I say any amount of praise...

"I can sit here and talk about this for hours and hours. I think the generations to come forward will talk about this. And generations coming forward should talk about it, that there is someone who has batted with a broken foot. And it's unfortunate because of the kind of form he was in," he added.

Although the BCCI officially ruled Pant out, Gambhir expressed hope for a swift recovery, emphasising the wicketkeeper-batter's crucial role in India's red-ball setup. He underlined Pant’s value not just for his explosive batting but also for the balance he brings to the Test side.

"But again, he's an important member of the Test side. And I hope he recovers quickly and comes back quickly and try and deliver a game for us," he said.