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Jurel came out to bat at No. 6 for India A in the ongoing match, and during his 186-ball stay at the crease, he hammered 6 fours and 2 sixes to score 80 runs.
Dhurv Jurel scored 80 runs for India A in the first inning of the ongoing 2nd unofficial Test. (Picture Credit: Screengrab)
Young Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who hasn’t played a Test match since Rishabh Pant’s return to international cricket on Thursday (November 7), makes a strong case for selection in India’s playing XI for the first Test against Australia by scoring 80 runs for India A in the ongoing second unofficial Test against Australia A at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Dhruv, who made his Test debut for India on February 15, 2024, in Rajkot, was added to the India A squad on Wednesday (November 6), and he replaced Ishan Kishan in the playing XI. Dhruv came out to bat at No. 6 for the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side on Day 1 of the second match and faced a total of 186 balls during his stay at the crease.
His super show with the bat helped India bounce back from 11 for 4 in 2.4 overs and post a total of 161 runs in the first inning.
While it is almost impossible for Jurel to replace Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper-batter, he can be considered for a place in the side as a specialist batter. In the limited opportunities he has got to play for India so far, Jruel has impressed with his performances, which is why he was also retained for Rs 14 crore by his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Apart from Jurel, KL Rahul was also added to the India A squad for the second unofficial Test, but the 32-year-old right-handed batter could only manage to score four runs from as many deliveries.
Rahul opened for India A along with Abhimanyu Easwaran but was sent back to the pavilion in the second over itself by Scott Boland.
Rahul, who was dropped from India’s playing XI for the last two Tests of the recently concluded three-match series against New Zealand, is in race with Easwaran for a position as opening partner of Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma is expected to miss the series opener at Optus Stadium in Perth from November 22 due to personal reasons.
Like Rahul, Easwaran also produced a forgetful show with the bat on Thursday, and in fact he was unable to open his account as well.
