India’s already bruised and battered Test campaign in England took a heavier blow on Thursday as Rishabh Pant was officially ruled out of the remainder of the series with a toe fracture, sustained during the opening day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

The injury, which occurred when Pant attempted a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes in the 68th over on Wednesday, led to immediate concern.

Blood seeped through his sock, the foot visibly swollen, and the 27-year-old had to be helped off the field by a buggy, unable to walk on his own.

The BCCI, in an official statement on Thursday, confirmed that Pant would not keep wickets for the remainder of the match due to the injury to his right foot. “Rishabh Pant, who sustained an injury to his right foot on Day 1 of the Manchester Test, will not be performing wicket-keeping duties for the remainder of the match. Dhruv Jurel will assume the role of wicket-keeper,” the board tweeted.

Despite the setback, Pant rejoined the team on Day 2 and will be available to bat if required, the statement added.

“He is ruled out for the next six weeks,” a senior BCCI source confirmed to PTI, adding that Ishan Kishan would be called in as cover.

Kishan, 26, has recently featured in County cricket for Nottinghamshire and was part of the India A squad against England Lions, though he did not play in either of the two games.

The freak injury adds to an already alarming list of Indian casualties. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is out with a knee issue, while pacers Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh are nursing groin and finger injuries respectively.

India, trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, now find themselves scraping the bottom of the bench as the pressure mounts in Manchester.

Pant’s absence once again leaves the wicketkeeping duties up for grabs. While Dhruv Jurel remains in the squad but unused, KL Rahul, who has not donned the gloves since the 2023-24 South Africa tour, could also be asked to fill in. The tactical dilemma that the think tank can ill afford in such a crunch game.

This is Pant’s second injury this series. He had earlier bruised a finger while keeping during the third Test at Lord’s, forcing him to hand over the gloves mid-match.

It’s a worrying recurrence, especially considering the southpaw only returned to international cricket last year following a life-threatening car crash in 2022.

Debates around substitution rules

The situation has also reopened debate around substitution rules in Test cricket. Former England skipper Michael Vaughan, speaking on BBC Sports, said the game was crying out for more flexibility.

“I don’t like the fact that we’ve got four days left in the game… and it’s 10 versus 11,” Vaughan said. “If someone clearly breaks a foot or ruptures a calf, you should be allowed a sub.

Once they brought in concussion subs, I was saying, ‘Why not extend it further?’”

However, fellow England great Alastair Cook was more circumspect, cautioning against potential misuse of such a provision.

“What if it’s just a bruise?” Cook asked. “Say we’ve just seen Pant walk off. He looks in all kinds of pain. But it turns out it’s not broken. So there’s nothing on the X-ray. Does he have to play on then?”

As India scramble to find balance with a threadbare squad, the larger question looms, is the traditional rigidity of cricket laws keeping up with the physical demands of the modern game?

For now, the only certainty is that India will have to brave the remainder of this gripping series without one of its most flamboyant match-winners — for the second time.

(With inputs from PTI)