Dhruv Jurel has played just three Test matches for India. All of these came earlier in the year against England. But these minimal outings have had a lasting impact. The 23-year-old currently averages over 53 in Tests. The quantity (4 innings) isn’t that much, but the quality has been rich. In just his second outing, he played a tough knock (90) and rescued India from a precarious position (177/7).
India were leading England until then (2-1) but were ahead in the game at Ranchi. On a tough wicket, he stood tall and kept India in the game. In the end, that proved to be one of the differentiating factors, and India sealed the series 3-1. Jurel outshined others like Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat, emerging as the favourite contender for the wicketkeeper spot in Test cricket.
Rishabh Pant ahead of Dhruv Jurel
That remained the case for less than two weeks as Rishabh Pant returned to cricket in the IPL 2024 season. When he returned to Team India’s squad for the T20 World Cup, it was assured that he’d feature for India in his best format, Test cricket. However, it was yet to be seen how he performed in red-ball cricket with a bat and gloves.
His first opportunity came two days ago. Playing in the India A vs B match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Pant managed to score just 7. More than likely, Pant is going to play ahead of him in the India vs Bangladesh Test series. However, that could change and the ball was now in Dhruv Jurel’s court.
Dhruv Jurel fails to seize opportunity
Pant’s failure was the perfect opportunity for Dhruv to show that the wicketkeeper that he made his own against England shouldn’t be snatched away from him. He arrived with India A, 145/3, still trailing by 176 runs. Instead of capitalizing on the chance, he fumbled it. Scoring just 2 runs.
In yesteryear, when your glovework was valued more, someone like Wriddhiman Saha could have still played ahead of them both, but now, when runs matter more, this could hurt Dhruv Jurel. Pant’s already has a proven record and a claim to be called India’s best ever wicketkeeper batter in test cricket.
In what is a 4-day match, 7 of the 12 sessions have already been played and not even two innings have finished. Right now, it’s looking unlikely that Jurel will get a chance to prove himself. But Pant hasn’t done much either. The question is, will the management and selectors back Pant over Jurel despite him playing just one first-class match in the last 20 months based on his previous performances or continue Jurel on the basis on short but success stint in Test cricket?
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