“Generations to come forward will talk about this”: Gambhir lauds Pant’s gutsy knock

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has lavished high praise on explosive batter Rishabh Pant for his courageous act to bat with a broken foot in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. On day two, Pant was in pain but still came out to bat and contributed with 54, powering India to their first-innings total of 358. He suffered the injury on day 1, leaving the field wincing with pain. But on day two he resumed batting with his previous day’s score of 37 off 48 balls, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd as he made his way out to the field. 

"Rishabh already, it's been declared that he's out of the series. And one thing I want to say is that the character and the foundation of this team will be built on what Rishabh did for the team and for the country as well," Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.

"Any amount of praise is not enough for him, especially batting with a broken foot. Not many people have done that in the past. And he had put his hand up, and that is why I say any amount of praise...".

"I can sit here and talk about this for hours and hours. I think the generations to come forward will talk about this. And generations coming forward should talk about it, that there is someone who has batted with a broken foot. And it's unfortunate because of the kind of form he was in."

Pant, who has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test, will leave as India's third-highest run-getter of the ongoing series. He has scored 479 runs at an average of 68.42, involving two centuries and three half-centuries. 

"But again, he's an important member of the Test side. And I hope he recovers quickly and comes back quickly and try and deliver a game for us," Gambhir said.