Indian wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel was spotted honing his keeping skills at Beckenham on Saturday, July 19. In a video shared by ESPNcricinfo on X (formerly Twitter), the 24-year-old was seen training with fielding coach T. Dilip as Team India prepared for the upcoming fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, set to begin on Wednesday, July 23.
Jurel had taken over wicketkeeping duties during the Lord’s Test after Rishabh Pant injured his finger. He continued behind the stumps in the second innings as well, although his performance drew criticism after India gave away 32 extras in England’s total of 192 runs. You can watch the video here:
Dhruv Jurel gets some keeping work in ahead of Manchester – will he be the designated (wk) with Pant as a pure bat? 🤔
Read more: https://t.co/ZnEDLd9b9X | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/BKWfWZ4VTf
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 19, 2025
Despite some mistakes behind the stumps, former India opener Aakash Chopra backed the young wicketkeeper. He pointed out that keeping at Lord’s is particularly challenging due to the slope, which affects the ball’s movement and makes the job more difficult.
“There is a problem at Lord’s. The ball goes in one direction, and then keeps moving in the other direction with the slope. I was seeing deliveries from (Jasprit) Bumrah and (Mohammed) Siraj, the kid was diving, but wasn’t able to reach there. The balls were so far away. If the ball had gone past the batter where it finished, you would have said it’s a wide,” he said.
Pant Injury Raises Doubts For 4th Test As Shastri Backs Jurel Behind The Stumps
Rishabh Pant’s finger injury at Lord’s has raised questions about whether Dhruv Jurel will take up wicketkeeping duties in the fourth Test at Old Trafford. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri expressed that he does not support the idea of Pant playing purely as a batter. Shastri, 63, believes that fielding could aggravate Pant’s injury.
He suggested that if there’s a fracture, it would be wiser for Pant to sit out the fourth Test and aim to return fully fit for the fifth Test at The Oval. Jurel, who made his Test debut in 2024 against England at Ranchi, played a crucial unbeaten knock of 39 in the second innings, guiding India to a five-wicket win.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.