IND vs ENG 2025: Rishabh Pant knows no boundaries as India keeper smashes records even with a broken toe

Rishabh Pant has a broken toe, but even that couldn’t stop him from smashing records in Manchester. On the second day of the ongoing fourth Test at Old Trafford, Pant walked out to bat with a padded right foot, hobbling on his way to the crease, with the crowd cheering their hearts out in the background. The fans never celebrated an Indian wicket (Shardul Thakur) that loudly before, reflecting how Pant’s grit and determination to put his country ahead meant to everyone. Resuming batting on 37*, Pant completed his fifty, having already broken a few records.

Besides equalling Virender Sehwag’s tally of hitting the most number of sixes by an Indian in Tests (90*), Pant broke several records in his gritty two-day outing in Manchester. After coming out to bat in India’s first innings on day one, Pant created history by becoming the first-ever overseas keeper to cross the 1000-run tally in England (1035), also becoming the first gloveman to do so in any away country before a Chris Woakes’ Yorker broke his right toe.

Most Test runs by visiting keepers in a country

• Rishabh Pant (IND) – 1035 runs (in 13 Tests) vs ENG in England
• Rishabh Pant (IND) – 879 runs (in 12 Tests) vs AUS in Australia
• MS Dhoni (IND) – 778 runs (in 12 Tests) vs ENG in England
• Rod Marsh (AUS) – 773 runs (in 21 Tests) vs ENG in England
• Andy Flower (ZIM) – 717 runs (in 3 Tests) vs IND in India
  

Trying to play a reverse lap off a medium-pacer, Pant inside-edged that delivery onto his foot. Although that saved him from getting trapped in front of the wickets, it broke his right toe, which was horrible news for him and the visiting Indian Team. His swollen foot indicated his time on this UK tour had ended; Pant, however, defied pain and risks to come out and play with a broken toe the next day.

With him advised against keeping wickets for the remainder of this match and series, Pant could always come out and bat per MCC’s laws, which he did and slammed another fifty-plus score against England this time. Adding his 54 (in the first innings at Trafford) to the twin hundreds he scored so far, Pant, should he not bat in the second innings, will wrap up with 479 runs in seven outings - a record in itself.