Rishabh Pant out of Champions Trophy danger after freak hit by Hardik Pandya's shot
One of Hardik Pandya's powerful shots struck Rishabh Pant on his knee in a freakish accident during India's first net session for the Champions Trophy in Dubai.
Contrary to the net sessions of Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma, who worked on their technique as Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami challenged them, Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer showed no mercy to spinners. They deposited most deliveries over the fence during India's first training session for the Champions Trophy in Dubai.
One of Pandya's powerful shots struck Rishabh Pant on his knee in a freakish accident. Team physio Kamlesh Jain immediately attended to him as a concerned Hardik came out of the nets to check on his colleague. Although the incident sparked concerns about Pant's participation in the Champions Trophy, thankfully, it wasn't serious. After a while, the wicketkeeper-batter padded up in an encouraging sight. He was seen with his helmet on in a 'highlights' video uploaded by the BCCI, further confirming his fitness.
Rishabh Pant is India's second-choice wicketkeeper
Although BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed last month during a press conference in Mumbai that Pant would be India's first-choice wicketkeeper for the England ODI series and the Champions Trophy, captain Rohit and head coach Gautam Gambhir backed KL Rahul for the role as they wanted "continuity." Hence, Rahul, who was one of the stars in India's run to the 2023 World Cup final, played all three matches against England in the recently-concluded home series.
Although India's strategy was criticised, with former head coach Ravi Shastri calling for Pant's inclusion amid Rahul's struggles in the first two games against Jos Buttler's men, the latter eventually sealed his spot with a helpful 29-ball 40 in the dead rubber.
After the end of the series, Gambhir said: "KL is our No. 1 wicketkeeper, and this is what I can say at the moment. Rishabh Pant will get his chance, but at the moment, it is KL who has done well, and we cannot play two wicketkeeper-batters."
