Follow UsIndia suffered a major blow in the ongoing third Test match against England when wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant had to leave the field after being struck on his fingers by a Jasprit Bumrah delivery.
It was the first ball of the 34th over, and Bumrah bowled it full down leg. It was travelling away even more after passing Ollie Pope’s bat, and Pant pulled out a big dive across to capture the ball. However, he failed to collect the ball cleanly, and it hit the fingers of his left hand.
He was treated by the physio with some spray and drinks; however, he was in a lot of pain and kept grimacing. Dhruv Jurel, who was in the squad as a backup keeper, was brought up as his replacement in the next over itself. Later, visuals from the dressing room revealed that his finger was bruised and swollen. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak were seen rushing to check on the wicketkeeper.
Pant has been stellar with the bat in the series so far, and is the third-highest run scorer of the series so far after Shubman Gill and Jamie Smith, with 342 runs.
"India's vice-captain Rishabh Pant got hit on his left index finger. He is receiving treatment at the moment and under the supervision of the medical team," BCCI's statement read.
"Dhruv Jurel is currently keeping wickets in Rishabh's absence."
If he’s ruled out of the Test, India can’t replace him in the batting order. However, Jurel can replace him as the keeper for the entire Test if needed.