Can Dhruv Jurel bat if Rishabh Pant does not keep further in ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test?

Wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel replaced Rishabh Pant on the opening day of the third Test against England after the latter suffered an injury. Pant was hit on his fingers while diving to stop the ball off Jasprit Bumrah's bowling.

As the left-hander walked off, Dhruv Jurel came in as the substitute wicketkeeper for the remainder of the day. Previously, a substitute player was not allowed, and someone from the playing 11 would have had to keep wickets. However, with the rule change in 2017, substitute keepers are allowed with the approval of the on-field umpires.

Pant is under the supervision of the BCCI's medical team. It remains to be seen whether he will return to keep on the second day. If he does not keep further in this Test, India could suffer a significant blow as Jurel will not be allowed to bat.

According to the rules, a substitute player cannot act as captain and bat or bowl, but can only act as a wicketkeeper with the consent of the umpires (Section 24.1.2 of the current ICC playing conditions). The current rules do not allow standard substitute players to bat or bowl.

A player coming in can bat or bowl only if they come in as a concussion substitute. Therefore, if Pant does not return to the field, India will have to play with a batter short for the remainder of the Lord's Test. He has already scored two hundreds in the series and is in stellar form.

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Dhruv Jurel's stunning catch to dismiss Ollie Pope

Dhruv Jurel made a massive contribution coming in as a substitute wicketkeeper for Rishabh Pant. He took a stunning catch to dismiss Ollie Pope off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling in the 50th over of England's innings on the opening day.

The left-arm spinner induced an edge off Pope on the first ball after the tea break. Jurel was in a good position with his head close to the gloves and took a sharp catch.

It was a key wicket as the English batter was well set on 44. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) wicketkeeper has played four Tests so far, scoring 202 runs at an average of 40.40 with a half-century.