IND vs ENG: Why Rishabh Pant's injury update is bad news for Karun Nair's Test hopes?

India has been severely harmed by Rishabh Pant's finger injury.  Throughout the series, Pant, a key member of India's batting lineup, has shown remarkable form.  He did not take up wicketkeeping responsibilities in the Lord's Test after his injury, and he seemed a little limited with the bat in the second innings as India lost.

India is adamant on playing Rishabh Pant in a key Test match, even though other teams would choose to bench an injured player. Even though he won't be keeping wickets in the forthcoming Manchester Test, they think he can still contribute significantly to the squad.

"He will bat in Manchester before the Test. I don't think you want to keep Rishabh out of the Test, no matter what. He batted with quite a lot of pain in the third Test and it's only going to get easier and easier on his finger. Keeping is obviously the last part of the process to make sure he can keep. We don't want to go through that again, where we have to replace the keeper halfway through an innings. He rested today, hopefully, he is good to go in Manchester,” India's assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate stated during the pre-game press conference.

Why Rishabh Pant's Injury isn't good news for Karun Nair

If Rishabh Pant is indeed unable to keep wickets in the fourth Test, India will be forced to make a lineup change, bringing in Dhruv Jurel as the designated wicketkeeper-batter. While KL Rahul is an option, his role as an opener makes it highly improbable he'd be asked to also take on keeping duties. Jurel, notably, stepped in to keep for India at Lord's after Pant's injury.

This development is particularly unfavorable for Karun Nair. He has failed to reach the fifty-run mark in each of the three Test matches he has played so far in the series, demonstrating his lackluster form.  Although there had previously been talks about maybe benching him for the Manchester Test, the squad now has a strong argument to make that tough choice in light of Pant's injury.

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