Lord's Test: Injuries to key players can hurt England, India
What's the story
The opening day of the third Test match between England and India at Lord's was marred by injuries to two key players, Ben Stokes and Rishabh Pant. Both teams are hoping that the injuries aren't serious enough to sideline them for the rest of this crucial match. Stokes was seen struggling with a groin injury while batting on Day 1. He received on-field treatment and limped between wickets during his innings with former captain Joe Root.
Injury update
Stokes remained unbeaten on 39 at Day 1's close
Despite his discomfort, Stokes remained unbeaten on 39 at stumps, with Root not out on 99 as England reached a score of 251/4. His teammate Ollie Pope expressed hope that the injury isn't serious enough to keep him off the field for long. "Fingers crossed he can do something magic and come back strong," Pope said about Stokes's condition after Day 1.
Wicketkeeper's injury
Pant injures finger while stopping delivery
Team India is also dealing with an injury concern as Pant left the field midway through Day 1 after injuring his finger while stopping a delivery from Jasprit Bumrah. The incident seemed innocuous at first, but Pant was seen receiving treatment before being replaced by backup keeper Dhruv Jurel for the rest of the day. The BCCI confirmed the injury later in the day on social media but did not share any details about its severity.
DYK
Pant has been in top form
Across 4 innings and two matches, Pant has bagged 342 runs and is India's second-higehst run-scorer in the series after Shubman Gill. Pant created history in the first Test and scored back-to-back centuries at Headingley, Leeds. The left-handed batter followed up with scores of 25 and 65 in the second Test held at Edgbaston. India will hope the injury doesn't hamper Pant's batting.