“Can you be too hard on Dhruv Jurel?” - Sanjay Manjrekar’s massive claim after defeat in ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar made a massive claim on India wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel after the defeat in the third Test against England. The visitors fell short by 22 runs at Lord's.

Chasing a target of 193, India were bowled out for 170. They gave away 32 extras in England's second innings total of 192, which eventually proved to be a decisive factor. With Jurel involved in some of the extras, Manjrekar questioned if he should solely be blamed. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) star came in as stand-by for the injured Rishabh Pant.

"Can you be too hard on Dhruv Jurel? (on extras), because he's come in as a stand-in keeper. Like a lot of Indian keepers, he looks far more accomplished when he is keeping against spinners and when he is close to the stumps," he said on ESPN Cricinfo. (7:51)

Sanjay Manjrekar also touched upon the drama towards the end of Day 3 which fired England and their captain Ben Stokes up even more.

He also pointed out a tactical error by Shubman Gill in delaying bringing Washington Sundar into the attack in the second innings.

"Washington Sundar's introduction, a spinner's introduction very late in the second innings also may have cost India 30-40 runs," he stated. (7:14)

Sundar bagged four wickets in the second innings as England were bundled out for 192, setting the visitors a target of 193 runs in the final innings.

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Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Ben Stokes after England's victory at Lord's

In the same conversation, Sanjay Manjrekar also lauded England captain Ben Stokes. While Stokes did not score a half-century or pick up a five-wicket haul, the former India batter highlighted some key moments where he made a huge difference.

"Guys have got five wickets and hundreds, this is a guy who didn't get a fifty or not even a five-wicket haul. But this is what Ben Stokes does. You look at the scorecard and wonder what is his contribution. But if you watched the game you saw the difference that he makes. The way he manufactured KL Rahul's wicket, the long spell when Bashir was unlikely to bowl. He is a champion cricketer. Just a guy who makes things happen," he reflected. (5:22)

Stokes made 77 runs and grabbed five wickets across both innings in the Test. He not only captained England exceptionally but led by example, winning the 'Player of the Match' award in the end.