'Quite Badly Bruised': Rishabh Pant's Day 4 Participation Hinges On Recovery From Injury

News cricket 'Quite Badly Bruised': Rishabh Pant's Day 4 Participation Hinges On Recovery From Injury

'Quite Badly Bruised': Rishabh Pant's Day 4 Participation Hinges On Recovery From Injury

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Last Updated: August 25, 2026, 19:30 IST

Rishabh Pant's shoulder injury causes bruising, restricts movement. Morne Morkel provides update, hopes for Pant's return for India vs Sri Lanka Test.

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Rishabh Pant celebrates his half-century against Sri Lanka (Picture credit: AP)

India’s pace bowling coach Morne Morkel has reiterated that Rishabh Pant’s shoulder injury has led to bad bruising in the area, adding that he was restricted in his movement on the morning of Day 3 of the second Test against Sri Lanka and hence didn’t take the field.

Pant didn’t keep wickets for the whole of the third day in Colombo, as Dhruv Jurel donned the big gloves.

Pant was sitting in the dressing room with a strapped hand, as he had copped a blow on his shoulder while batting on the second day.

“Rishabh, obviously, got hit on the shoulder. I think that was discussed last night, as he is quite badly bruised. I think he was just a little bit restricted in his movement this morning when he tried to warm up," Morkel said while speaking to the media.

“I think we will keep on monitoring him now overnight and, hopefully, he will be behind the stumps for us tomorrow. I think it’s important to have him there; his reading of the game is exceptional," Morkel added.

The India coach said that Kuldeep Yadav would have been in the mix for selection had he not contracted a viral fever ahead of the second Test.

“No, that is (selection) not my call. I think he was asked to fill certain roles for the first Test, which was sort of a tough Test. But for me, I reckon his name would have been in the mix for the virtual selection," Morkel said.

Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on Monday said that Kuldeep wasn’t considered for selection for the Colombo Test because he was carrying a viral fever from Galle.

“The key is to find that breakthrough. For us, it’s just about keep on asking questions, keep on rolling your best ball and bowl well in partnerships. We are quite lucky that we have 500 on the board," Morkel said.

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Key Questions Answered Powered by Ask News18 Will Rishabh Pant's injury affect his future matches? Rishabh Pant's shoulder injury has caused bad bruising and restricted his movement, making his participation in future matches uncertain. While he was unable to keep wickets on Day 3 of the second Test against Sri Lanka, the team is monitoring him overnight with hopes he will return for Day 4. How will India manage without Pant behind the stumps? India will manage without Rishabh Pant behind the stumps by having Dhruv Jurel take over wicketkeeping duties. What is the latest on Kuldeep Yadav's health status? Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection in the second Test against Sri Lanka due to a viral infection. The BCCI stated that he had not fully recovered from his viral illness. Powered by Ask News18

First Published: August 25, 2026, 19:30 IST

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