Jurel displayed his talent by scoring 80 and 68 in both innings of the four-day match at the MCG.
Tim Paine, the former Australian Test captain, has praised Dhruv Jurel, naming him as a player to watch out for India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Paine was particularly impressed by Jurel’s performance in the second unofficial Test between Australia A and India A at the MCG, where Jurel showed his ability to handle the challenging pace and bounce of Australian pitches.
Jurel displayed his talent by scoring 80 and 68 in both innings of the four-day match at the MCG. His confident batting in tough conditions has made Paine believe that Jurel could be a surprise performer in the upcoming Test series against Australia.
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Speaking to SEN Tassie, Tim Paine highlighted Dhruv Jurel’s impressive performance, mentioning that Jurel has played a few Test matches as a wicketkeeper and has a strong batting average of 63. Paine noted that Jurel has the temperament and skill needed for Test cricket, and despite being primarily a wicketkeeper, he believes Jurel will play a significant role in the upcoming series against Australia.
“There’s a guy who has wicket kept in a few Test matches for India. He averages 63 out of the three Tests he’s played, and his name is Dhruv Jurel,” Paine said on SEN Tassie.
“I don’t know if you saw much of the highlights, but after seeing him bat (against Australia A) – even though he’s a wicketkeeper, from what I’ve seen on this tour and from India’s batting in the last couple of months, I’d be staggered if he doesn’t play,” he added.
Tim Paine, who coached Australia A in the match, was particularly impressed by Jurel’s composure and the ease with which he batted on the bouncy MCG pitch, something that many players from the subcontinent often struggle with.
Paine believes Dhruv Jurel will impress Australian fans in the upcoming series, despite the challenge of facing top Australian bowlers like Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood. He feels Jurel has the skill set required to succeed in Test cricket.
“He scored one of the more polished 80s I’ve seen, and we were all sitting around as staff of Cricket Australia and thought, ‘Wow, this guy can seriously play,” Paine said.
“He’s 23 and he’s played three Test matches, but he looked a class above all of his teammates, to be fair, and handled the pace and bounced really well, which can be unusual for an Indian player,” he added.
“Keep an eye out for him this summer. I think he’s going to impress a lot of Australian fans. Even though it’s going to be another step up against the big three (of Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood), he looks like he has the game to play Test cricket, “Paine concluded.
The first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins on November 22 at Optus Stadium in Perth.
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