Dhruv Jurel replaced Rishabh Pant as the wicketkeeper before the start of the 36th over of England’s innings on the opening day of the Lord’s Test match. The fans were confused to see Rishabh walking out. Dhruv Jurel , who was getting ready in the 35th over, quickly walked out to keep wickets before the next over. An over before this, Rishabh was attended by the medical team. Why many would be thinking that he did it to break England’s momentum, that’s not the case.
Rishabh Pant is indeed hurt. The wicketkeeper-batsman hurt his left index finger while collecting one of Jasprit Bumrah’s deliveries. The medical team quickly walked out to check Rishabh. He is receiving treatment and is under the supervision of the medical team.One over later, Rishabh walked into the dressing room. It remains to be seen if Rishabh returns to keep wickets or not. The fans will hope that the finger issue doesn’t hamper Rishabh’s batting.
With 342 runs in 4 innings, Rishabh is India’s second-highest run-scorer in the series. He created history in the first Test and scored back-to-back centuries. The left-handed batsman followed up with scores of 25 and 65 in the second Test.
Dinesh Karthik, a veteran wicketkeeper-batsman and commentator, has spoken highly of Dhruv Jurel on multiple occasions, especially praising his performance in the 3rd Test vs England. Karthik believes Jurel has a bright future in Indian cricket and predicted that he will do wonders in the long run. He views the healthy competition among Indian players, including Dhruv Jurel, as a positive sign for the team. Dinesh Karthik has analyzed Dhruv Jurel’s wicketkeeping technique, highlighting its effectiveness.
Dinesh Karthik is in all praise of Dhruv Jurel’s wicket keeping skills after replacing Rishabh Pant in the 3rd Test
During the 3rd Test between England and India, Rishabh Pant injured his finger, leading to Dhruv Jurel coming in as wicketkeeper. Dinesh Karthik analyzed Jurel’s superior technique compared to Pant, emphasizing Jurel’s lower stance and better foot positioning for enhanced balance. Both Pant and Jurel helped take wickets for India on Day 1.
Former Indian wicket keeper – batter Dinesh Karthik has heaped praise on Dhruv Jurel for his stunning catch to dismiss Ollie Pope on Day 1 of the Third Test against England at Lord’s on Thursday, July 10. The cricketer-turned commentator lauded the youngster for his technical advantage while comparing it to Rishabh Pant, who copped a blow to his finger,forcing Dhruv Jurel to walk out as a substitute keeper.
The remarks came minutes after Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Ollie Pope off the first ball after the Tea Break. The left-arm spinner bowled a good length delivery outside off that spun away, and Pope played at it with hard hands. Dhruv Jurel showed sharp reflexes to claim an excellent catch despite a huge deflection from the bat. Pope walked back for 44 as Ravindra Jadeja broke a 109 runs partnership between him and Joe Root.
Dinesh Karthik told Sky Sports(via X) :
“Dhruv Jurel has picked up a very nice catch coming in as a sub for Rishabh Pant. I am just trying to understand and dissect his technique a little bit, which is little different to Rishabh Pant. And if you have a look at the video, it’s on the split screen at both Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel.”
“Have a look at Rishabh Pant’s glove position, facing the bowler where Dhruv Jurel, a lot more lower and coming out, and how do you check the height of the glove in relation with the keeping pad. Dhruv Jurel is a lot more lower, closer to the keeping pads and the height of it compared to Rishabh Pant.”
Dinesh Karthik continued in his praise :
“As you roll this forward, the one thing you’ll see is balance. Why was Dhruv Jurel able to collect it cleanly. Just have a look at the right leg. The position of the right leg in many ways determines how well your head position is in relation to the glove. So, Rishabh Pant, as the ball comes close to him, sometimes gets up high and moves away from the ball whereas Dhruv Jurel’s glove and head position is very much in line with the ball being right in the middle of his hands.”
“Have a look at Rishabh Pant’s end position here in front. Right leg completely different. A lot of weight on the left leg, whereas Dhruv Jurel, a lot more balanced while taking the catch, which has enabled him to take a really hard catch and make it look rather easy,” he added.
Dhruv Jurel, who debuted in Pant’s absence in 2023-24, averaged 63.33 with the bat in his first series in 2023-24. Once Pant was back in the side, Dhruv Jurel played one Test in Australia as a batter alone, aggregating 12 runs across two innings.
The series was level 1-1 after England won in Leeds and India in Birmingham. Choosing to bat first ,only for the second time at home in the Bazball era, England were 93 for 2 when Pant got injured. Joe Root and Ollie Pope were the batters in the middle. Not only was the decision at toss a departure, their scoring rate and intent was also the lowest in the Bazball era.
There will be a long break between the third and the fourth Tests. An update on Pant’s status and availability during the rest of the Test was awaited.
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