Rishabh Pant injury update: Morne Morkel confirms badly bruised shoulder

Rishabh Pant sustained a painful blow to his left wrist on day one of India's 2nd Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo when he was struck by a sharp bouncer from fast bowler Lahiru Kumara. The incident occurred in the final session when Kumara was introduced back into the attack on the very first ball of the 58th over, forcing Pant to retire hurt from the innings.

Pant returned to bat on day two and produced a strong performance, scoring 63 with two sixes and six fours to reach his 21st Test century. He shared a 112-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Jurel before being dismissed. India declared their first innings at 503 for 9, with Pant's contribution proving valuable despite the earlier wrist injury.

However, a subsequent injury to his right shoulder emerged during or after his batting, forcing the team to reassess his fitness for the remainder of the match.

After stumps on Day 3, India’s bowling coach was asked for an update on Pant, with the former South African pacer revealing that the wicketkeeper-batter had suffered a badly bruised shoulder.

"His shoulder is badly bruised. He will be assessed overnight. We want his experience behind the stumps because he reads the game really well," Morkel said in a press-conference.

The shoulder injury has already forced Pant to be relieved of wicket-keeping duties. Dhruv Jurel took over the gloves when Sri Lanka began their first innings following India's declaration, with the team physio monitoring Pant closely for any developments.

Jurel confirmed that Pant was being assessed due to the shoulder pain, stating that he kept wicket because Pant had experienced discomfort in that area. The senior batter's experience and game-reading ability made his potential absence a concern for India's bowling attack coordination.

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Jurel went on to make a significant contribution with the bat, scoring 115 not out from 171 balls with nine fours. He became only the second Indian batsman after Hardik Pandya to score a Test century at number seven or lower in Sri Lanka, reaching his second Test century in the process. T

he team continued to monitor Pant's condition closely ahead of the remaining days of the Test match, with his availability for future innings dependent on the overnight assessment and physio evaluation.