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Ravi Shastri asked Rishabh Pant 'Is it broken? Will you play?' India keeper replied, 'Of course. Agar toota bhi hai…'
Ravi Shastri reveals his conversation with Rishabh Pant after the India wicketkeeper picked up an injury.
Rishabh Pant on Thursday put up an act that people will talk about for ages. With a fractured toe, Pant walked out to bat with India losing its sixth wicket of Shardul Thakur for 314 runs. With the match wide open, Pant hobbled down the stairs of the Old Trafford dressing room to a loud reception and batted 59 minutes to add 17 more runs to his overnight tally of 37. Pant smoked Jofra Archer for a six and drilled Ben Stokes through the off-side for a boundary. After completing his half-century, Pant was knocked over by Jofra Archer in pretty much a replay of his dismissal at Lord’s. But by the time his innings came to an end, Pant had done enough to take India to above 350.
As he took his time to climb back up the stairs, Pant had done something extraordinary. And as expected, he was at the receiving end of some special praises from some greats of Indian cricket. In a video posted by the BCCI, the likes of Ravi Shastri, Cheteshwar Pujara and Dinesh Karthik weighed in on just how special this innings was from Pant, with the former India head coach leading the way.
"Before this Test, I asked him 'how is the finger? Is it broken? Will you play this game?' He said, 'Of course I will play. Toota bhi ho, toh khelta' (I would have played even if it was broken," Shastri said, referring to the finger injury Pant suffered in the 3rd Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Lord's, when he chipped a nail off one of his fingers.
"For him to come back and do what he did, was something special. Because sometimes your motivation goes to another level. What he did today for the team, if that doesn’t lift the team up, nothing will. The ovation he got going out and the one he got coming back. And the applause he got from everyone from the England team out there, that's what you live for. What you play for. And that’s what makes heroes. So it shows what he wants, he wants to play, he loves playing Test cricket, for the country. If anyone doubted whether he was a team man, they got to see it first-hand today. That requires more than just steel."
Dinesh Karthik agrees
Karthik echoes Shastri's sentiments, saying Pant is the living embodiment of the famous never-say-die attitude. He knew that the series was on the line, and not getting enough runs could have given England the advantage.
"One thing that is for sure is England loves Rishabh Pant. Being out there, getting those 16-18 runs, is always inspirational. In sport, there are always moments that live for a lifetime and that moment – at least when he was on the ground – will last for a long time. Showing that he cares, and he wants to win the series and wants to make a difference, was brilliant to watch," said Karthik.
Cheteshwar Pujara lauds Rishabh Pant's guts
Lastly, more than anything else, Pujara was blown away by Pant's guts and the courage to bat when every step he took made him wince – little or more – in pain.
"We need players like him who can step up in difficult moments. He showed a lot of courage to come and bat despite being in so much pain. Every step he took showed he was in a lot of pain. So, he showed a lot of character. It’s never easy to show the willingness to do what he did for the country," he said.
