Will Rishabh Pant Begin Rehabilitation at BCCI Centre of Excellence?

New Delhi, Sep 15 (NationPress) Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is set to arrive at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru on Monday to initiate his rehabilitation process following a fractured right foot he sustained during the fourth Test against England in Manchester this past July.

IANS has reported that Pant's decision to travel to Bengaluru and check into the CoE was made at the last minute. It has also been confirmed that the cast on Pant’s right foot has been removed, allowing him to walk freely without any signs of limping.

Upon returning from the United Kingdom, Pant has been under the guidance of medical professionals, including Mumbai’s Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, who has been monitoring the recovery of his fractured foot.

Dr. Pardiwala, who is the Head of the Centre for Sports Medicine and the Director of Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, previously operated on Pant’s right knee after a severe car accident in December 2022.

Pant, aged 27, suffered the foot fracture during the first day of the Old Trafford Test when he inside-edged a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes onto his foot. This painful injury forced him to retire hurt after scoring 37 runs, with scans later verifying a fracture on his fifth metatarsal. Remarkably, Pant returned to bat the following day despite being in a moonboot, contributing vital runs to finish with 54.

Dhruv Jurel took over the wicketkeeping duties during that match, and although Pant was available to bat in India's second innings, his services were not needed as Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar scored centuries to help India secure a draw. For the fifth Test at The Oval, which India won by six runs to level the series 2-2, N Jagadeesan was brought in as Pant's replacement but was later substituted by Jurel.

Reports indicate that the CoE medical team is expected to evaluate Pant’s right foot on Tuesday. The results of this assessment will dictate the structure and intensity of his rehabilitation plan and will also provide insights into Pant’s readiness for the upcoming two Tests against the West Indies, scheduled in Ahmedabad from October 2-6 and in New Delhi from October 10-14.

Pant, India's vice-captain in Tests, scored 479 runs in seven innings at an impressive average of 68.42, including two brilliant centuries in the series opener at Headingley, Leeds. If Pant cannot regain full fitness in time, Jurel and Jagadeesan may fill the wicketkeeper-batter roles for the Tests against the West Indies.