Rishabh Pant could very likely miss the India vs West Indies series in October. The wicketkeeper batter has been on the sidelines since late July after he fractured his right foot in Manchester. Subsequently, India’s Test vice-captain missed the final match of the England tour and wasn’t in consideration for the 2025 T20 Asia Cup.
Pant recently expressed his frustration. “How many more days in this?” he wrote, as his cast hadn’t come off yet. It was expected that Pant would recover in 4 to 6 weeks, but that hasn’t happened. He recently returned to India and has spent the past few days consulting specialist doctors in Mumbai.
Pant unlikely for IND vs WI Tests
But the results aren’t as expected. As things stand, Pant’s participation in the India vs West Indies series is 50-50. In his recently shared update, his foot was still bandaged, indicating that the wicketkeeper was either still experiencing pain or that his injury hadn’t healed just yet. It’s expected he’ll need two more weeks before he’s 100%.
“He is targeting a return for the series against the West Indies, but that seems unlikely. Even though he’s trying his best, the chances of his return for the West Indies series are 50:50. The more realistic possibility is that he will return to action with the white-ball series against Australia, which will kick off with the first ODI on Oct 19 in Perth. Pant’s injured foot is still strapped. It will take two weeks before he starts batting in the nets,” a source told The Times of India.
Since the India vs West Indies series begins on October 2, Pant won’t really have much time to prepare. Of course, prior to even thinking about that, he’ll have to report to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and get a fitness clearance from the medical staff there.
One of the reasons why the foot fracture is taking longer to recover is that Pant went back to bat. Had he stayed put in the dressing room, he perhaps might have been fit already, but in a bid to save Team India, he might have complicated his injury a bit.
“Typically, these fractures take six weeks to heal and another two weeks to regain fitness. If, however, you have not had the opportunity to immediately rest (plaster or splint it) and had to run on it, this will delay the recovery a bit,” a source said.
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