IND vs ENG Test: ‘How do you break a man who’s defeated death?’ – Aakash Chopra hails Rishabh Pant’s grit at Old Trafford
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has delivered a stirring tribute to Rishabh Pant, praising the wicketkeeper-batter’s unbreakable spirit after he batted through pain on Day 2 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, with a fractured toe. Pant, who made a fighting 54 off 75 balls, walked out despite the injury and gave India valuable runs before they were bowled out for 358 in their first innings.
England finished the day at 225/2, trailing by 133 runs. But the biggest talking point remained Pant’s courage — something Chopra compared to legendary moments in Indian cricket history.
“The first talking point is Rishabh Pant and his spirit. He reminded me of Anil bhai, who bowled with a broken jaw in Antigua and picked up a wicket,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel. “It wasn’t necessary, but he did it. Here, Rishabh wasn’t able to walk or stand and was taken out in a cart. He said he would bat. How do you break a guy whose spirit is unbreakable?”
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Chopra went on to highlight the significance of Pant’s return, especially after surviving a life-threatening car crash in December 2022.
Six years on since Sanjay Manjrekar stirred up a controversy by referring to India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as a “bits-and-pieces” cricketer during the 2019 World Cup, former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu has made a similar remark about the inclusion of Shardul Thakur in the Test XI in Manchester on Wednesday
After India lost all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy to injury in the lead-up to the fourth Test, India went in with Shardul, who had a limited role with both bat and bowl during their first Test defeat in Headingley last month. The 33-year-old Mumbaikar was slotted in to bat at No. 7, and with India showing limited faith in his bowling prowess before, Sidhu questioned the purpose of his inclusion.
After India were sent into bat and lost Sai Sudharsan in the final hour of Day 1’s play, following Rishabh Pant’s exit due to a foot injury, Thakur and Jadeja took the side to stumps at 264 for four with both batters unbeaten on 19.
‘Even Jadeja couldn’t pick wickets…
“One area of problem, even if Shardul makes a fifty, at that number eight position, bits-and-pieces cricketers do well in one-day cricket, but in Test cricket, you always need specialists. If you could bring Shardul the bowler at number eight, then I would agree this is the right selection. You do not bowl him enough and then in order to increase the batting you compromise with your bowling.Related video: ‘He was in a lot of pain’: Sai Sudharsan admits Rishabh Pant’s absence could hurt India (The Times of India)
“Bits-and-pieces cricketers, I don’t think will ever win you games abroad. Even Jadeja could not pick wickets in the first two Tests with the rough. Batting, fielding, as an all-rounder, par excellence,” Sidhu said on his YouTube channel.
Sidhu added that Shardul’s addition is a compromise on the bowling with negligible boost to the batting department.
“What is the purpose here? The guy at number eight, do you want him to give you five wickets or batting depth? If you want batting depth and that would win you games, then would those 200 runs (193 at Lord’s) not have been chased? If seven can’t do it, eight also won’t. I have been repeating this point time and again. I feel this is again a compromise, and I feel it will not go in favour of India,” Sidhu added.
Shardul has played more Tests in England than any other country, scoring 197* runs in six matches while taking 12 wickets at an average of 38.33.
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Backing Gill’s response, Patel, a JioHotstar expert, said, “No, it’s not (surprising). We’ve seen him do this in the IPL too. This sport is about expressing emotions as long as you don’t cross the line, and I don’t think Shubman crossed the line at all.”
He further pointed to the double standards around the “spirit of the game” narrative: “It was clear how slowly the English batsmen were walking in. Teams like England, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa often use the term ‘spirit of the game’ conveniently. So, there was nothing wrong with Gill asking the English media if it’s okay to come to bat 90 seconds late. That was a deliberate attempt,” he added, as quoted by PTI.
Assessing Gill’s captaincy, Patel said: “This is new to him and he’s improving. With Gujarat Titans, whatever I’ve observed about him, he’s been very assertive. He knows what he wants. He’s very clear with his plans and ideas… he is on the right path.”
Switching to India’s batting choices, Patel weighed in on Sai Sudharsan’s return to the XI for the fourth Test. The left-hander scored a composed 61 after being dropped for Karun Nair in the second and third Tests.
“Despite good domestic seasons, Nair couldn’t convert starts into big scores. Now India is backing a youngster, which is fine… Sai made the most of his opportunity with a fifty. Knowing him, he’d be disappointed not to have converted it into a hundred.”
On whether Sai could be a regular across formats, Patel said, “The potential is immense. We’ve seen him bat with conviction in the IPL, winning the Orange Cap and striking at a high rate. He’s shown promise in Test cricket too.”
Patel also urged India to find space for Kuldeep Yadav in the XI. “The team seems to prefer an extra batter, which is why Kuldeep isn’t finding a place. But I believe India should find room for him to have four attacking bowlers,” argued the former wicket keeper-batter.
I’ve always felt that you are giving a like-for-like substitute for incompetence,” Gavaskar told Sony Sports.
“If you are not good enough to play short-pitched bowling, don’t play Test cricket; go and play tennis or golf. You are giving a substitute for somebody who gets hit because he can’t handle it.”
Pant, despite being seriously injured, returned to bat and scored a courageous fifty in India’s first innings of 358. However, his continued participation in the match — and possibly the series — is now unlikely.
Gavaskar questioned why a substitute is permitted for a head blow but not for an obvious injury.
“Here, it is a clear injury. There has to be a substitute. Let an independent committee, including medical experts, be formed to make these decisions,” he said.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan, who was part of the discussion, agreed with Gavaskar and called for rule changes to protect the quality of the game.
“If a footballer breaks a leg early in a match, they can be substituted. Why should cricket be any different?” Vaughan said. “Pant has a broken foot. He can’t play again in this match or the next. We need a clear protocol for like-for-like injury replacements in such situations.”