He will be hoping to make the most of the opportunity in a bid to become a mainstay in the squad.
Young wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel earned a spot in the playing XI for the IND vs ENG 2nd T20I in Chepauk.
With Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh getting ruled out with a side strain and a low back spasm respectively, India brought in Dhruv Jurel alongside Washington Sundar for the contest in Chennai.
While it was a lucky break for the 24-year-old cricketer, he will be hoping to make the most of the opportunity in a bid to become a mainstay in the squad. Let’s take a look at the possible roles where Jurel can stake his claim in the T20I team.
While Sanju Samson is already the designated wicketkeeper for India in the shortest format, Jurel can push for the second wicketkeeper option. Although India has the likes of Rishabh Pant available, despite getting ample chances in the shortest format, Pant’s returns have been underwhelming.
Subsequently, he was snubbed from the ongoing IND vs ENG T20I series. It’s not that Pant has been rested since he is currently playing in the Ranji Trophy, which clearly implies that the selectors are looking to explore other options where Jurel can capitalise.
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He can also be a great option to have as just a pure middle-order batter in the lineup. While Jurel has more caps in red-ball cricket for India than in T20Is, interestingly, before coming to the Test fold he was considered a T20 specialist.
Furthermore, Jurel bats lower down the order and can aim to consolidate his place in the finisher’s role. While he is unlikely to get a chance to post big scores, it’s his impact batting that will be looked into. Thus, he can provide healthy competition to Rinku Singh for the position and a few good consistent displays might just give Jurel the edge.
Also with someone like Nitish Kumar Reddy not bowling as much in the shortest format, he can be rotated with Jurel in case India wants to play an extra batter. India has Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya, who can very well shoulder the fifth bowler responsibilities.
Jurel has played two T20Is so far managing six runs. And though his numbers don’t exactly reveal his talent, Jurel’s development has been extremely good. In IPL, Jurel averages 23 and has a strike-rate of over 150 in 27 games.
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