Dhruv Jurel has shown enough value as a wicketkeeper and batter.
It’s unfortunate for Dhruv Jurel to exist in the same era as Rishabh Pant. In any other team, he walks as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter, but in the Indian team, he is still in Pant’s shadows. After everything Pant has done, especially as a batter, he is undroppable whenever he is available.
To Jurel’s credit, he has been exceptional in whatever limited chances he has had since his debut last year. In nine Test innings, he averages over 47, with one fifty, one century and a few other timely knocks that rescued India from precarious situations. From Ranchi to Perth to The Oval, his opportunities have been scarce despite being so assuring every time.
In six Tests he has played, Dhruv Jurel has shown enough value as a wicketkeeper and batter, good enough to be a regular in the XI. He has moved well behind the sticks and shown agility to counter late movements. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant should continue solely as a batter.
This will ensure two things: India maximise Jurel’s batting and glovework, while Pant continues without an additional burden. Lately, he has been injury-prone and needs to be managed carefully, and taking the wicketkeeping load off him will help him contribute most as a batter. Then, Jurel also has a better technique as a keeper, proven time and again by his brilliance while collecting and affecting stumping.
If he keeps the wickets, Pant’s injury chances will reduce slightly. With a fresh foot injury, he will become more vulnerable, given that the accident had already made his muscles tender. In the long run, Pant might have to relinquish wicketkeeping due to his injury history, at least in the longest format.
Hence, Jurel will also allow him to remain fresh and focus more on his batting. At this stage, Pant is among the finest Test batters, and his superior skills against spin and moving balls will be vital in the upcoming assignments. With the team in transition, his skills will be required, especially since India might prepare spin-friendly tracks at home, and new batters can struggle against quality bowling attacks like South Africa later this year.
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India have adopted a batting-heavy strategy, where they prefer multi-skilled players who can contribute with both bat and ball. The selection of Nitish Kumar Reddy for the first West Indies Test, while previous inclusions of Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur on overseas tours indicate the same. While not a bowler, Jurel also offers dual value as a batter and wicketkeeper.
There are two ways to include him: No.3 or No.7 in place of an all-rounder. India should give Sai Sudharsan an extended run in the top order, given that he has been consistent and possesses the ingredients to succeed. That leaves one slot in the lower middle order, where Jurel will fit perfectly for multiple reasons.
For home Tests, India should prefer him over Nitish Kumar Reddy. If they wanted to groom Reddy, he should have batted at No.6 ahead of Ravindra Jadeja, but his usage shows he is there just to add the batting depth. His bowling will hardly be required at home in the presence of three spinners and two pacers, and his utilisation against the West Indies showed management’s lack of confidence in his bowling abilities on Indian pitches.
That is understandable as well, for Reddy’s attributes are hardly suited for the kind of surfaces at home. He requires something in the air or off the pitch to make the most of his limited bowling skills since he doesn’t have the pace. As a batter, Jurel is better than Reddy in the longest format.
For overseas Tests, India won’t have three spinners, and Reddy can take the slot to fulfil the batting depth and provide bowling value. That would mean Jurel gets to play all the matches, and Reddy gets used according to the conditions. It will allow India to remain flexible while still getting the required batting depth home and away.
8 of Jurel’s nine Test innings have come at No.6 or below. In those innings, he has shown superior ability to pick lengths and use his crease adeptly. In fact, he is among the finest spin players in the team, which was again evident in how he handled West Indies spinners during his maiden century.
Another notable feature is his temperament and ability to bat with tailenders in the lower order. Take the Ranchi Test, for instance. He formed a crucial 86-run stand with Kuldeep Yadav for the eighth wicket when India could have been in massive trouble. Similarly, his knocks in Rajkot and The Oval showed his natural ability to bat low and still make an impact.
There’s his natural ability to arrest collapse and remain composed. Then, he has the game to ace any situation or position, be it home or away. In short, he can perform all the tough work for India and solve many issues without disrupting the original idea of having multi-skilled players and batting depth.
Maybe he couldn’t have made it to the XI based on his batting or wicketkeeping alone. But his encouraging skills in both departments give India a solid reason to back him. Simply, he is too good to ignore at the moment.
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