Rishabh Pant's actions show what courage really means

RISHABH PANT ADDED only 17 runs to his score on the second day of the Manchester Test, but numbers often don't measure courage, which in his case would be only a thin line away from foolhardiness.

- Tushar Bhaduri

RISHABH PANT ADDED only 17 runs to his score on the second day of the Manchester Test, but numbers often don't measure courage, which in his case would be only a thin line away from foolhardiness. He came back to bat just around 18 hours after he was left unable to walk, even unable to put any weight on his right foot that was hit by a Chris Woakes slower ball.

The choice of shot Pant attempted to that delivery—his version of a reverse-sweep—could be described as outrageous or reckless, depending on how one views the left-hander's approach to the game.

That the blow resulted in a fracture was all but confirmed by the visuals, with the batsman almost dancing around the Old Trafford pitch in pain on one leg. When a golf buggy had to be summoned to take him off, one was pretty certain that it would be the last one would see of Pant in action in this game, and most likely, the series.

That was well into the final session on the first day, and there he was, before lunch on the second, limping out to bat after the fall of the sixth Indian wicket, having to take the support of the railing of the staircase on his way down from the dressing room. The feeling of awe and astonishment around the ground was palpable.

There have been more than a few instances in Test cricket of players battling serious injury to come back on the ground to perform for their team. The feats of Anil Kumble (broken jaw, Antigua 2002) and Graeme Smith (broken hand, Sydney 2009) come readily to mind. It shows the competitiveness and team ethos that the players have.