Rishabh Pant retires hurt after wrist blow in Colombo Test

Rishabh Pant was forced to retire hurt during the opening day of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on August 23, 2026, after a Lahiru Kumara delivery struck him on the wrist in the 58th over of the Indian innings. Pant attempted a pull shot against the short ball but only managed to glove it, and the impact left him in immediate discomfort.

The physio came onto the field and applied an ice pack to Pant's wrist to limit the swelling. After a lengthy stoppage, the wicketkeeper-batter was unable to continue and walked off retired hurt. Ravindra Jadeja came out to replace him at the crease. Pant had scored 0 not out, having joined Devdutt Padikkal only a few minutes before the tea interval was taken.

No official BCCI or match officials' medical update on the severity of the injury was available at the time of writing, and Pant's availability to bat or keep wicket later in the match remained unclear.

India were well placed at tea, posting 187 for three despite losing both openers, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, in the first session. Shubman Gill and Padikkal then combined for a 120-run third-wicket stand that steadied the innings considerably.

Gill batted with composure throughout his stay, and a short-arm pull off left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya that raced to the fence was among the more eye-catching moments of his knock. He was eventually dismissed at the stroke of tea, edging Asitha Fernando through to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella after a solid fifty.

Padikkal, who had scored 167 in the first Test of the series, was slightly uncertain early on and received a reprieve when he was on 1. Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva grassed a straightforward chance off spinner Keshara Nuwantha at backward point. After that let-off, the left-hander batted with growing authority, dispatching the Sri Lankan bowlers freely around the ground. A scorching pull off Kumara that brought up his fifty came off 90 balls and stood out as one of the highlights of the session. Padikkal was unbeaten on 63 at the break.

With Pant off the field, Jadeja walked out to partner Padikkal in the post-tea session. Under the Laws of Cricket, a batter who retires hurt may return to complete their innings if they recover sufficiently, though no confirmation of Pant's fitness to do so had been issued at the time of this report.

The blow added a note of concern to what had otherwise been a productive day for India in Colombo. The team had recovered well from the early setbacks to build a competitive platform at the interval, and the extent to which Pant's absence would affect their final total and their wicketkeeping arrangements remained to be seen.