Several youngsters have made their India debut and impressed everyone with their superior talent since the start of this year, especially in the Test arena.
Several youngsters have made their India debut and impressed everyone with their superior talent since the start of this year, especially in the Test arena. The high-octane England series earlier this year saw as many as five players get their maiden opportunity to feature for India in the most prestigious format, mostly due to the absence of key players for various reasons, and almost every one of them made a mark in their respective departments.
Sarfaraz Ahmed, Akash Deep, Devdutt Padikkal, and Dhruv Jurel impressed at different phases during the series, and only Rajat Patidar underperformed. But his potential is palpable, which enabled the team to back him, for his skillsets are supreme and rare.
Among these names, the player who stood out and impressed the most was Dhruv Jurel, who hardly had any chance of making India’s debut in the England series. India already had plenty of wicketkeeping options, but it reached a point where all were unavailable or terribly out of form, paving the way for an unknown Dhruv Jurel.
Jurel made an impact immediately, with his batting skills coming to the fore under pressure, which helped the team maintain the lead and not let England come back into the game at various points. Further, his wicketkeeping technique was ideal for the subcontinent conditions, catching everything coming his way with the gloves.
On TRSP Clips, Wasim Jaffer lauded India’s scouting team for bringing Dhruv Jurel out of nowhere in the Test arena. Initially, Jurel wasn’t among the contenders to play for India against England.
“I was surprised because he (Jurel) suddenly came into the scene. He was nowhere in the picture. Credit should be given to those who scouted him to bring him suddenly into the Test team because he wasn’t in the reckoning. Either it was Rishabh Pant, KS Bharat, or KL Rahul. They brought him out of nowhere and realised that it can work well.”
Dhruv ended the series with 190 runs at an average of 63.33 in four outings, including a fifty. His knocks in Ranchi ensured India’s victory when they were down and out.
Jurel showed his tough character and the ability to shine when the odds are against the team, a feature in his game. With crucial red-ball assignments to come, Jurel will have more exposure against more sides, which will help him learn and grow further.
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