Dhruv Jurel might soon find a place in India's playing XI.
As we gear up for an intriguing English summer, India’s A team is grinding it out against the England Lions in the second unofficial Test in Northampton. KL Rahul’s thumping ton and Dhruv Jurel’s reliable half-century put India in good stead. A lot will rely on Rahul’s form as an opener ahead of the all important series starting June 20.
On the other hand, Dhruv Jurel has been instilling a lot of confidence from the outset. A solid technique, robust temperament and a calm head on his shoulders – he possesses everything that is needed for a batter to be successful at the highest level. In the recent past, his performances speak for himself and as he awaits to cement his place in the XI, his time might just be around the corner.
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The Rajasthan Royals (RR) wicket-keeper has had a brief Test career, but has shown a lot of promise. He has grabbed all his opportunities with both hands and has pulled the team out of trouble on multiple occasions. In six innings, Jurel has scored 202 runs at an average of 40.4, which speaks great volumes of his potential. His highest score (90) came against England in the first innings of the fourth Test at Ranchi in February 2024. The 24-year old then scored an unbeaten 39 in the second innings to take India home, and was also awarded as the Player of the match.
Not just at home, the youngster has shown a lot of promise on foreign soil too. In the second unofficial Test at Melbourne in 2024 just before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Jurel piled up a magnificent 80 in the first innings. He soon backed it up with a wonderfully constructed 68 in the second innings. In both these knocks he rescued the team while reeling at 11/4 and 44/4 in the two innings respectively.
Cut to the ongoing unofficial Test series against the England Lions, the young wicket-keeper registered scores of 94 and 53 in the first Test. In the second unofficial Test, he once again stood up with a gritty 52.
Having said that, a big headache for Shubman Gill and the management would be figuring out a way to include Jurel into the Indian XI. A like-for-like replacement would mean benching Rishabh Pant, and the Indian Test skipper would be skeptical of doing that, considering Pant’s Test performances on English soil. In nine Test appearances in England, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper has added 556 runs to his name at an average of 32.7, comprising two centuries and as many hundreds respectively. However, Pant could only register one score in excess of fifty in the recent Test series in Australia, and will be watched from close quarters.
The Indians could also think of dropping an all-rounder in Shardul Thakur or Nitish Reddy in order to include Jurel. Both these all-rounders have proven their mettle in foreign conditions. But the youngster from Uttar Pradesh has been a vital cog in India A’s wheel, whenever presented with an opportunity and will look to continue his form.
Though a confirmation on whether the Rajasthan Royals keeper will make it to the XI still keeps him on the sidelines, he has certainly proven that ability isn’t his problem. With all the impressive performances, Jurel’s inclusion might just be round the corner!
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