Rishabh Pant, who injured his left index finger midway through day one of the Lord’s Test, will not keep wickets on the second day as well.
The wicketkeeper had to be substituted on Thursday (July 11) after suffering a blow in the 34th over. While stopping a delivery down the leg side, Pant could only get the tip of his fingers to the ball, injuring himself.
He had to be treated by the physio, and while he continued on the field till the end of the over, he walked out as soon as the last delivery was bowled. Dhruv Jurel replaced him as the wicketkeeper in his absence.
The BCCI confirmed that Pant would not be fit to play as a wicketkeeper on the second day either: "Rishabh Pant is still recovering from the hit on his left index finger. The BCCI medical team continues to monitor his progress. Dhruv Jurel will continue to keep wickets on Day 2.”
Sahil Malhotra, a journalist with the Times of India, observed that Pant faced a few deliveries from the batting coach Sitanshu Kotak ahead of the start of the second day, but looked "uncomfortable".
On commentary, Ravi Shastri narrated his conversation with Pant earlier in the day, stating his finger was still “very sore” and that the blow had “taken a bit of his nail off.” On day one, television commentator Ian Ward wondered if Pant had suffered from a fracture due to the swelling on his hand.
How can India replace Rishabh Pant?
While Jurel can keep wickets if Pant isn’t fit, he cannot directly substitute Pant in the playing XI. A full substitute is only permissible if the playing member suffers a concussion. At this point, there is no confirmation on the extent of Pant’s injury, and whether he can bat in the game.
However, if he has indeed suffered a fracture, he could well be ruled out of the fourth Test, beginning on July 23. In that case, India will not only need to bring in a wicketkeeper into the side, but also make up for the batting strength he provides.
Bring in Jurel, promote Jadeja?
India have two wicketkeepers in the squad: KL Rahul and Jurel. While Rahul is already in the XI and is the first-choice keeper in the ODI side, he has kept wickets just twice in Test cricket. Last year, the BCCI reportedly were not keen to have Rahul as the keeper for the India-England Tests at home, as they were looking for a “specialised” player to fill in the role made available due to Pant’s involvement in a car accident.
Jurel was handed a debut in the series and impressed, both as a wicketkeeper and batter. On Thursday, he also held onto a brilliant catch to send back Ollie Pope.
However, a No.5 batter needs to be dynamic: He needs to stabilise the innings after early wickets, consolidate a good start or accelerate the scoring when needed, things which Pant is exceptional at. Jurel, who has played four Tests, has never batted above No.6 in the format.
One option will be for India to push Ravindra Jadeja up to No.5, a position he has batted in nine innings. Jadeja averages 21.77 at the spot, much lower than the average of 37.39 he has while batting at No.6 or lower. India might also look to play Karun Nair at five - he batted at six in the first Test – and get Sai Sudharsan back in at No.3. Sai, who was at one-down in the first Test, made 0 and 30 in the Test, before he was dropped at Edgbaston.
If Pant is ruled out of the series, India could alternatively bring in Sarfaraz Khan, who has not been picked in the squad, and slot him at No.5, a position he has batted in before.
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