Rishabh Pant injury and late Ben Stokes strike pull England back into Test
Having made 37, Pant was in the process of gaining control for India during the final session in partnership with the willowy left-hander Sai Sudharsan. The usual whacky combination of dutiful defence and outrageous stroke play — with not much in between — had been fully in evidence when, attempting a reverse-sweep to Chris Woakes in the 68th over, he took a full toss on the outstep of his right foot and was forced to retire hurt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
21 minutes ago
- Reuters
India's Pant to miss fifth test against England with fractured foot
MANCHESTER, England, July 27 (Reuters) - India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant will miss the fifth test against England at the Oval due to a fractured foot, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Sunday. Pant retired hurt in India's first innings of the fourth test in Manchester, but re-emerged on day two, limping back onto the field to great applause from the Old Trafford crowd. Pant did not keep wicket in England's innings and was not needed to bat as India dug in to earn a hardfought draw and deny the hosts victory in Manchester. "The BCCI Medical Team will continue to monitor his progress and the team wishes him a speedy recovery," a BCCI statement said. "The Men's Selection Committee has named Narayan Jagadeesan as replacement for Rishabh Pant for the fifth test." Pant's fifty on day two, his third of the series in addition to centuries in each innings of the first test, took his run total to 479. He also passed former England captain Alec Stewart as the highest-scoring wicketkeeper in a single test series in England.
The Guardian
21 minutes ago
- The Guardian
India head coach Gautam Gambhir defends decision to refuse Stokes' offer
Gautam Gambhir, India's head coach, offered a strident defence of his side as Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar – much to England's annoyance – hit centuries in a bizarre finish to the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford. After Jadeja and Sundar batted resolutely to rule out an English win, Ben Stokes offered to shake hands with 15 overs remaining on day five. But with both batters approaching three figures – Sundar on 80, Jadeja on 89 – India continued to bat until both reached three figures. Stokes, wishing to rest his frontline bowlers, brought on Harry Brook, who dished up some helpful offerings to the pair of southpaws. He conceded 24 off three overs, the contest concluding with Sundar reaching his maiden Test century. 'You hold your hands up, they played incredibly well,' Stokes said. 'But I don't think there would have been too much more satisfaction from walking off 100 not out, getting your team out of a tricky situation, than walking off at 80, 90 not out. That's what you've done for your team. 'Ten more runs or whatever it was ain't going to change the fact that you've managed to get your team out of a very tricky situation and almost saved your team from a series defeat before the last game. 'We took the game as far as we could with our frontline bowlers. As soon as it got to that point where the draw was inevitable, I was never going to risk my frontline bowlers with the short turnaround that we have and the workload that we've got through this week and throughout this series as well. 'I did have to tell [Brook]: 'Don't do anything stupid.' We've spent a lot of time out in the field, can't have you pulling a side or doing anything different.' Gambhir thought differently of the situation. 'If someone is batting on 90 and the other one is batting on 85, don't they deserve a hundred? Would they have walked off? If someone from the England side would have been batting on 90 or 85, if someone had the opportunity to get his first Test hundred, wouldn't you allow him to do it, if they weathered the storm? It's up to them. If they want to play that way, that's up to them. I've got nothing more to say.' Stokes endured a significant workload during the Test. While he celebrated hitting a century and taking a five-wicket haul, the all-rounder grimaced through his spell on the fifth morning. Asked how he was feeling, he replied: 'Mentally, decent. Physically, been better. 'It's been a pretty big workload so far in the series. Another big last week at Lord's, the time I spent out in the middle with bat in hand and overs bowled. And then same again this week. I said a few times to the guys out there: 'Pain is just an emotion.' It's just one of those things.' Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Stokes did not offer complete certainty over whether he will play the final Test at the Oval, which begins on Thursday, although – through a confusing use of words – suggested he will be present as England aim to secure a series victory. 'You look at how long we've been out in the field and the overs that we bowled as a bowling unit, everyone's going to be pretty sore and pretty tired going into the last game of the series,' Stokes said. 'I think there will be an assessment of everyone and hopefully we can use these next two to three days' rest wisely and then have to make a decision. 'These recovery days are going to be pretty important and we might have to make a few decisions to get some fresh legs in. But that won't be decided until we get closer to the last game. I don't want to eat my words, but the likelihood that I won't play is very unlikely.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Home on the range? Now Andy Murray's playing golf in the house!
Sir has taken his obsession with his new favourite sport to another level by having a golf simulator fitted in his home, his mother has disclosed. The Scot swapped his racquet for a set of clubs after his retirement from tennis and changed his profile description on X to 'I played tennis. I now play golf'. He is now aiming to become a scratch golfer, having reduced his handicap from seven to two in a matter of months. The 38-year-old has had a hi-tech simulator installed in his mansion in Surrey so he can practise his swing at all hours of the day and in all weathers. His mother Judy, 65, who has also taken up golf, said he needed something to keep his competitive streak flowing after retiring from tennis last summer. On the How to be 60 podcast, she said: 'Andy didn't play so much golf when he was younger, it was more football and tennis. 'Since he retired last summer he has really got into golf. His handicap is already two which is so annoying that somebody could get so good so quickly. 'He has almost swapped the tennis training and the tennis competition for golf. 'He has even put a simulator in his house. I can just imagine him down there, he videos himself and puts all these little apps and lines and things through it. 'He has truly got obsessed and I think it's a great thing because I did worry that when he retired from tennis he would miss the routine and the discipline of the daily training. This fills what could have been a big void for him.' She added: 'I asked him last week what his handicap was and he said 'Two' but sounded p***** off. I said 'What do you mean' and he said 'Well, I was 1.7 last week'.' Sir Andy has also been getting tips from football legend Gareth Bale on how to improve his game. During his time at Real Madrid, the Welshman, 36, earned the nickname 'The Golfer' and was even mocked by his own supporters for his golf obsession. Three-time Grand Slam champion Sir Andy retired after competing for Team GB at the Paris Olympics last summer. There are numerous golf simulators on the market with prices varying from just under £100 for a basic set-up to a staggering £65,999.
