Rishabh Pant, who rocks the field like an action hero, is currently battling his injury.
He is trying his best to make a comeback in the Test series against West Indies, which is scheduled to begin from October 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
But time is short, and the game of fitness seems a bit difficult. Pant has returned to India and is meeting doctors in Mumbai and focusing on recovery.
Will this dashing wicketkeeper-batsman be ready on time?
The story of the injury is very interesting. On the first day of the fourth Test against England in Manchester, Pant fractured his leg while trying to reverse sweep Chris Woakes’ ball.
He could not bat further, but the next day he bravely came out on the field and scored some runs. Due to this, the injury worsened a bit more.
After that, he has missed both the fifth Test at the Oval and the Asia Cup. Now he is waiting for the green signal from the BCCI’s Center of Excellence.
A reliable source told the Times of India,
“He is targeting a comeback in the series against the West Indies, but it seems difficult. Even though he is trying his best, the possibility of his return in the West Indies series is 50:50. A more realistic possibility is that he will return to the field with the limited overs series against Australia, which starts with the first ODI in Perth on October 19. Pant’s injured leg still has a bandage. It will take him two weeks to start batting in the nets.”
The source further added, “Normally, these fractures take six weeks to heal and two more weeks to regain fitness. However, if you didn’t get a chance to rest immediately (plaster or splint) and had to run on it, it can cause a slight delay in recovery.”
Meaning, in the normal case it takes six weeks to heal, and two more weeks to regain fitness. But if Pant ran on the injury, it can cause a slight delay.
Right now his leg is bandaged, and it will take two weeks to start batting in the nets.
If Pant plays in the West Indies series, the strength of the Indian team will double. Otherwise, the plan is to make a comeback from the limited overs series against Australia, which will start in Perth from October 19.
