Dhruv Jurel is doing wicketkeeping in the final hour. Photo: PTI
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Dhruv Jurel is doing wicketkeeping against New Zealand
- Rishabh Pant did the job for more than 35 overs
- Jurel has been on the bench since Rishabh’s return
India and New Zealand are squaring off in the first Test of the three-match series in Bengaluru. The first day of the game was washed out due to rain. There was no interruption on the second day and New Zealand did the job with the ball. They bowled out India for a mere total of 46 and are leading by more than 100 runs.
During the final hour of the play, Rishabh Pant walked off the field and was replaced by Dhruv Jurel behind the wickets. The replays showed that the ball hit Rishabh’s knee on the final delivery of the 37th over.
Rishabh was down with the pain and was assessed by the team’s physio. After few minutes, the wicketkeeper decided to walk off the field and he was replaced by Dhruv.
Dhruv has been part of the Test team since the series against England. He earned his maiden call-up earlier in 2024 and made his debut in the Rajkot Test match. He played three Tests in the series.
Rishabh’s return to the Test team saw Dhruv losing his place in the final XI. He has retained his place in the team and is Rishabh’s backup. Earlier, India used to have only one wicketkeeper in home matches.
The trend changed in 2019 and India always have two wicketkeepers in the squad. The team management will hope that Rishabh remains fit and he is available to bat in the second innings. Dhruv will walk into the playing XI if Rishabh misses a game in the series.
Indian batsmen struggle
The Indian batsmen had a day to forget against New Zealand and the home team got bowled out for a mere total of 46. Rohit Sharma only managed to score 2 runs while Virat Kohli bagged a duck. Apart from Virat, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja also failed to open their account.
