India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, has revealed that the team is taking extra precautions with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s knee injury, which he sustained during the first innings of the second Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
Pant, who has undergone multiple surgeries on his knee following a life-threatening car accident in December 2022, was seen struggling to run comfortably while batting in India’s second innings. He was eventually dismissed for 99 off 105 balls.
“He’s had a massive operation on his leg, so we all know what he went through,” Rohit said after India’s eight-wicket defeat. “It’s just to be a little careful about where he is at and what he is to us.”
Pant injured his knee on the second day of the Test while attempting to stump Devon Conway. He was replaced by Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps for the remainder of the first innings and the first 27.4 overs of New Zealand’s second innings.
Rohit emphasized the importance of being cautious with Pant’s knee, given his recent history of injuries.
“He’s had a lot of minor surgeries [and] one big surgery on his knee and he went through a lot of trauma, to be honest, in the last one-and-a-half years,” Rohit said. “So it’s just about being extra careful, not [just] careful with him.”
Despite his knee injury, Pant displayed his usual aggressive batting style, smashing nine fours and five sixes.
“No one knows what goes in his mind, to be honest,” Rohit said with a smile. “He decides what he wants to do. I don’t think there’s anything that you need to speak to him [about]. We spoke to him about ‘please understand the situation’ and stuff like that, but that’s Rishabh – he wants to play in a certain way and then, as a captain, as a coach, we want to back that because like he has produced results for us having that mindset. So let him go and play freely.”
