Rishabh Pant sustained a fracture to his right toe on Day 1 of the fourth Test in Manchester.
Rishabh Pant's injury has come as a massive blow to Shubman Gill and his men on this England tour. Trailing by 1-2, India are in a must-win situation in the ongoing Manchester Test. But now, they have to compete with 10 batters only.
The ICC law 24.1.2 confirms that India will be allowed to use a substitute player, but he can only field. That means India will have an uphill task in England. If they lose this game, the series will be gone.
Adding to that, India will also be pushed behind in the race in the ongoing World Test Championship. But the next big question is who will replace Rishabh Pant for the fifth test. Here we will talk about three potential options for India for Pant's replacement for the final test.
Three players who can replace Rishabh Pant for the fifth Test
1. Dhruv Jurel
Dhruv Jurel is in the Indian squad. He also kept wickets for India in the third test after Pant wasn't available due to injury. Jurel also played practice games for India A against England A and did pretty well. In two games, he scored 94, 53*, 52, and 28.
He also made his Test debut against England and did pretty well. Staying with the team and practicing must have helped him to know the conditions. That is why he can be a great choice to replace Pant for the upcoming test. However, he is likely to be the substitute for him and will keep in the ongoing Manchester Test.
2. Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan has been the backup keeper for India in test cricket. He has been added to BCCI's central contract, which indicates that India are looking at him as the option for the future. He is also a left-handed batter like Pant and also likes to take on the bowling.
Ishan also played a couple of county matches for Nottinghamshire and did well with the bat. He batted in two innings and scored 87 and 77 runs, respectively. He can also play in the middle order and can be a good replacement. Some reports have indicated that he might be added to the squad for the fifth test.
3. Abhimanyu Easwaran
Abhimanyu Easwaran has been searching for his Test debut for India for a long time now. He has been with the team as a backup option for almost the past 2-3 years now but has yet to make his debut. India have already given the debut cap to Sai Sudharsan and also given chances to Karun Nair on this tour.
But many former cricketers and cricket pundits believe that Easwaran also deserves a chance. So, there can be an outside chance that he can make his debut in the fifth test. If it happens, then KL Rahul might keep wickets for India, which is also a pretty handy option.