Things haven’t gone as planned for Team India in their preparations for the mega series that is coming up in the form of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). While the question already lingers on Rohit Sharma’s availability, and now another worrying development has occurred. Shubman Gill, while fielding during the match simulation against India A, was hurt on his fingers. Reports have claimed that no one really knows if Gill will be available to kickstart the BGT in Perth.
Gill, who was himself lined up as one of the contenders to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, now finds himself against race of time.
Who would be ideal replacement for Shubman Gill?
Now that question lingers on Shubman Gill’s particular in the opening Test against Australia, we can dissect on who should be an ideal replacement for him. Honestly, India haven’t carried many batting options with them. While there is Abhimanyu Easwaran, he is simply in the squad to the fact that Rohit will possibly be unavailable for the opening Test too. Apart from this, either of KL Rahul or Sarfaraz Khan will be batting at that number six spot. Moreover, both of them even dealt flows while batting Down Under too.
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Try Dhruv Jurel, why not?
If India doesn’t opt to include a new batter in the frame as a cover to Gill’s number three spot, Dhruv Jurel could be a perfect option. Despite being a backup keeper to Rishabh Pant in Test cricket, Jurel has been gaining quite a lot of traction by former cricketers who boost his case for a spot in the Indian team.
On the day when Team India faced a horrible whitewash defeat to New Zealand at home, the BCCI made a great decision to include Jurel and Rahul in the India A team for their second unofficial Test against Australia A. Jurel showed why is one of the best red-ball talents. He scored two gritty half-centuries (80 and 68) after coming into the crease when the score read 11/4 and 44/4.
Jurel has shown his potential
Jurel’s performance in Australia builds on his strong record in domestic and international cricket. In his three Test appearances for India, he has amassed 190 runs across four innings, boasting an impressive average of 63.33, with a top score of 90. His 90 against England in Rajkot worth their weight more than a hundred because the hosts were 177/7 at one point. From there on, Jurel single-handedly took the total to 307.
Moreover, Jurel’s consistency in first-class cricket is equally notable, where he has accumulated 1,223 runs in 21 matches at an average of 48.92, including one century and nine fifties, with his highest score being an impressive 249.
While it is true that all the runs Jurel has made have come lower down the order. And we are talking about the number three slot, that requires totally different technique and skill. But, given that Jurel wasn’t going to displace Rishabh Pant for that number five role, better use him somewhere else. While India definitely miss a dogged character like Pujara, Jurel’s watertight technique has shown that he has the “juice” in him to flow the Indian batting line-up.
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