India's mounting injury woes ahead of 4th Test: From Nitish Reddy blow to Rishabh Pant worry
After suffering a side-strain during the white-ball series against England at home, Nitish spent a considerable time at the NCA before being cleared to feature in the IPL. But he bowled just 30 deliveries in the entire edition before heading to England. After playing the two India A games, he played the previous two Tests before suffering an injury to his ligament on Sunday that is set to cut short his tour.
The left-arm pacer was in contention to get a look-in towards the business end of the series, but a cut on his bowling hand during a net session has ruled him out at least for the fourth Test. The selectors have sent Anshul Kamboj, who impressed during the A series before the Test tour, as a cover and he is now in the mix as well.
After an impressive show at Edgbaston, the Bengal seamer was seen struggling at Lord's. It is understood that Akash is grappling with a groin niggle which makes him an unlikely starter in Manchester. With uncertainty around Bumrah for the fifth Test, India are keeping their fingers crossed on Akash's quick recovery. If not, they may have to send an SOS to selectors again.
Since he came back into the fold after the horrific accident, the team management and selectors have kept an eye on his workload. The priority has been to make him play Tests and heading to Old Trafford, it would be interesting to see if Pant starts as a wicketkeeper or as a specialist batsman. He suffered a hand injury, which made Dhruv Jurel keep wickets in the third Test. While scans have showed no major worries, it remains a concern for India.
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