Shardul Thakur has shed light on the dramatic events surrounding Rishabh Pant's courageous innings in the ongoing Test match against England, revealing that the young wicketkeeper-batsman had to undergo a fitness test to determine if he could even walk before deciding to bat. Pant's participation in the match was initially in doubt after he was sent to the hospital for treatment.
Thakur explained that the team was informed Pant had gone to the hospital to receive treatment, with doctors needing to assess his ability to walk. "We were told he'd gone to the hospital for treatment," Shardul said. "They wanted to check if he could walk. He came back, warmed up and batted. There is a fracture — that's confirmed". Despite the pain and the confirmed fracture, Pant returned to the field, displaying remarkable resilience and contributing significantly to India's first innings score of 358.
Pant's brave knock has been widely praised, with Thakur calling it "another chapter in his legend". He further emphasized Pant's exceptional pain tolerance and unmatched passion for the game. "We've seen him bat with pain before," Thakur added. "His passion is unmatched. His pain tolerance is unbelievable". Zak Crawley of England also admitted his surprise at Pant's involvement, recognizing the infrequency of such acts of perseverance.
Thakur's insights provide a glimpse into the backstage drama and the determination that drove Pant to overcome his injury and contribute to the team's cause. His performance has not only drawn comparisons to past cricket legends who played through injuries but has also sparked discussions about the possibility of allowing broken bone substitutes in Test matches. Thakur mentioned that this topic is under consideration, but he believes any such rule changes should be implemented after the current World Test Championship cycle to avoid disrupting the ongoing competition.
Beyond Pant's injury, Shardul Thakur addressed his own limited bowling opportunities in the match. As an experienced seam-bowling all-rounder, he watched a significant portion of England's innings from the outfield, having bowled only five overs. When questioned about his lack of bowling, Thakur responded, "The captain takes the calls. Usually, the player doesn't have much say". He expressed hope for more opportunities to bowl in the remaining days of the game. He also acknowledged the difficulty in finding rhythm due to the sporadic nature of his bowling spells. "You never know when you'll bowl," he stated. "But I'll try to use whatever experience I have. That's all I can do".
Reflecting on India's bowling performance overall, Thakur admitted that they missed their lines and lacked patience in the initial overs, which allowed England's openers to score freely. "In the first 10-12 overs, runs flowed," he said. "We tried to pull it back, but couldn't. We didn't have enough patience in the channel. Some balls were really good, others just went for boundaries. That's something we need to fix tomorrow". Thakur also felt that the Indian bowlers could have performed better with the new ball, despite not finding the expected movement.
