Rishabh Pant walks off the ground injured, Gautam Gambhir leaves Lord’s balcony to go check on him: Here’s what happened

Rishabh Pant injured his finger after being hit by a Jasprit Bumrah delivery. He refused to walk off, but was later replaced by Dhruv Jurel

India suffered a significant blow on the first afternoon of the third Test against England at the Lord's on Thursday as vice-captain Rishabh Pant walked off the ground injured midway through the second session, leaving the Indian camp tensed. Substitute wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel replaced him.

India's Rishabh Pant reacts after having hurt his hand while keeping wicket on the opening day of the third cricket test match between England and India

The incident occurred during the 34th over of England's first innings when a fuller delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, angled down the leg side to Ollie Pope, struck Pant on the fingertips of his left hand. The wicketkeeper had dived full-stretch to his left in an attempt to collect the ball but ended up in clear discomfort.

It was the second time in the innings that a Bumrah delivery had caused Pant pain — the first being on the final ball of the 26th over, when Pope let a length delivery go that nipped in and narrowly missed the off stump. Pant needed medical attention then, but the blow in the 34th over left him in visible agony.

Clutching his hand and jumping in pain, Pant received immediate attention from the physio, who applied spray before taping his fingers heavily. Pant already had his fingers taped after receiving medical attention during the first session. After the spray, the physio offered him a drink.A visibly tense Gautam Gambhir watched the scene unfold from the dressing room before entering into a serious discussion with the support staff.

Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel sprinted down the Lord’s corridor and appeared on the sidelines, waving toward captain Shubman Gill and the others to check if he should get ready to take over.

Despite the pain, Pant initially refused to be substituted and resumed keeping, visibly wincing as he put the gloves back on. However, three deliveries later, Jurel was seen getting ready with the gloves, and Pant finally walked off at the end of the over.

The India star sat in the dugout for a few moments, before he made his way up to the Indian dressing room, where Gambhir, seated at the Lord's balcony, left his seat and rushed immediately to check on him. The sight left commentators concerned as they inferred he severity of the injury.

Jurel had kept wicket 18 months ago in the reverse series and was also behind the stumps during the India A matches ahead of this contest. But a Test debut in England as a wicketkeeper presents both a big opportunity and a stern test—especially amid the wait for the BCCI’s update on Pant’s injury.

Earlier in the day, England won the toss and opted to bat in the Third Test. The openers negated the threat in the first hour, but Nitish Kumar Reddy struck twice in his first over, removing both Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in the space of four balls. England ended the first session on 83-2.