Manchester: Head coach Gautam Gambhir on Sunday said the character and foundation of the current Indian team will be built on the remarkable act of courage from Rishabh Pant, who batted in the first innings of the fourth Test with a broken right foot.
Pant added crucial first innings runs for the team despite batting with a fractured foot after missing a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes on day one. He managed to get a half-century, helping India post 358 on day two.
Pant was not required to bat in the second innings as Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar guided India to a morale-boosting draw with a century each to keep the series alive.
“Rishabh already, it’s been declared that he’s out of the series. And one thing I want to say is that the character and the foundation of this team will be built on what Rishabh did for the team and for the country as well,” said Gambhir in the post-match media interaction.
“Any amount of praise is not enough for him, especially batting with a broken foot. Not many people have done that in the past. And he had put his hand up, and that is why I say any amount of praise…
“I can sit here and talk about this for hours and hours. I think the generations to come will talk about this. And generations coming forward should talk about it, that there is someone who has batted with a broken foot. And it’s unfortunate because of the kind of form he was in.
“But again, he’s an important member of the Test side. And I hope he recovers quickly and comes back quickly and try and deliver a game for us,” said the former India batter.
All fast bowlers are fit for the final Test, no call taken on Bumrah yet
Gambhir also gave an important update on the fitness of the fast bowlers who have had to deal with heavy workload and injuries over the course of the five-match series.
Having mentioned earlier that Jasprit Bumrah would be playing only three Tests due to workload management, Gambhir said no call is taken yet on his participation at The Oval. For the record, the Manchester Test was Bumrah’s third of the tour but with the series still on the line, he might just play in London.
“All the fast bowlers are there. There is no injury scare,” Gambhir asserted.
That means that Akash Deep has fully recovered from his groin injury and Arshdeep Singh from his hand injury.
