Team India provided an update on Rishabh Pant on Sunday after the wicketkeeper-batter retired in the third and final session of Day 1 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. The left-handed batter was in a lot of discomfort after being hit on the hand by a bouncer. However, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak played down the concerns, saying, Pant will be fit to bat on the second day of the Test.
The incident happened on the first delivery of the 58th over. Sri Lanka pacer Lahiru Kumara bowled a short delivery, and the left-handed batter went for a pull shot, only to glove it. The wicketkeeper-batter was in visible discomfort after the ball seemingly hit him on his wrist bone.
The physio then came charging out and applied an ice pack to prevent swelling. There was a lengthy delay, and once the umpire had a chat with the physio and Pant, the batter decided to walk off the field for further treatment. With Pant walking off, Ravindra Jadeja joined Devdutt Padikkal in the middle. Pant was batting on 3 off 15 balls when he eventually made his way back.
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The cameras then picked up Pant being attended to in the dugout, but soon after, the left-hander removed his pads, making it clear that the injury was more serious than initially thought.
However, after the close of play on Day 1, Kotak told reporters that Pant would be fine to bat the next day. “He should be fine to bat tomorrow,” said the batting coach.
India dominate Day 1
The second Test between India and Sri Lanka started with Shubman Gill winning the toss and opting to bat. Devdutt Padikkal was once again the pick of the Indian batters, hitting his second Test century. The left-hander from Karnataka eventually scored 117 before being bowled by Keshara Nuwantha.
Shubman Gill also hit a half-century while Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with 43. Asitha Fernando was the pick of the Indian bowlers, scalping three wickets. He was also involved in an ugly battle with Yashasvi Jaiswal, and the two almost came to blows.
India gained a 1-0 lead in the two-match series after winning the opening Test in Galle by 165 runs. A win in Colombo would keep India in with a chance of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The task is cut out for the visitors as they need to win six out of their remaining eight Tests.