Ben Stokes scans Rishabh Pant’s fractured toe, then unleashes yorker assault: 'If anyone cries spirit of cricket...'

Rishabh Pant fought immense pain, braving a fractured toe to smash a half-century against England.

Rishabh Pant fought pain and England’s hostility to register a brave half-century on day two of the fourth Test in Manchester, dragging India to a total of 358 despite battling a fractured toe. His counter-attacking fifty, the 19th in his Test career, stood out for the sheer defiance it symbolised, coming just hours after he was rushed to the hospital after the end of the first day's play.

Ben Stokes notices Rishabh Pant's fractured toe before England target the injured spot (ICC/X)

Pant had retired hurt after being struck on the foot while attempting a reverse scoop, and scans later confirmed a fracture that ruled him out of wicketkeeping duties for the remainder of the Test. However, he was cleared to bat, and the southpaw returned to the crease on Thursday morning once Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur had fallen early.

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Limping his way to the middle, Pant was greeted by a standing ovation from the Manchester crowd, fully aware of the battle he was walking into.

Through his innings, Pant visibly struggled to run between the wickets. Social media lit up when a video surfaced showing Ben Stokes carefully observing Pant’s limp after a single, glancing at the toe before resetting his field. While Stokes admired Pant's grit at the time, what followed was anything but sympathetic.

Stokes switched to a ruthless plan of targeting Pant’s toe, unleashing a barrage of yorker-length deliveries that honed in on the injury. It was a cold, calculated tactic from the England skipper, one that caused discomfort but couldn’t dislodge the wicketkeeper-batter.

Pant didn’t back down either. Battling on effectively one leg, he launched a fearless counterattack. He slogged Jofra Archer over the ropes and brought up his fifty with a boundary, refusing to let his injury dictate terms. While Stokes kept pressing with toe-crushing lengths, Archer too joined the assault, targeting the injury zone with sharp deliveries. Eventually, it was Archer who got him, not with a yorker, but with a delivery that held its line after pitching outside off, drawing an edge and crashing into the stumps.

Watch Stokes observing Pant's toe:

Here's how fans reacted to England's tactics of targeting Pant's toe:

Still, Pant’s gritty 55 added vital runs to India’s tally and injected belief into the camp. On a day when Stokes grabbed his first five-wicket haul in over eight years, it was Pant’s wounded defiance that stole hearts, even as England plotted around his pain.