Follow UsIndia have a huge selection headache in front of them ahead of the first Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. While it seemed like a quite straightforward debate, Dhruv Jurel’s incredible batting run could now change the selectors’ minds over playing Nitish Kumar Reddy.
The young wicketkeeper batter smashed two centuries in two innings against a strong South Africa A bowling outfit. In the first innings, Jurel smashed a 175-ball 132 in an innings where the other ten Indian batters combined to score a total of 114 runs. He impressed in the second dig as well, scoring a 170-ball 127, sparking a lot of chaos.
Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel weighed in on this topic, stating that India would have to choose between batting depth and having an extra seamer in conditions that could help pace bowlers.
“There will be only one question for India, and that will be at No. 6, whether you want to play Nitish Reddy or Dhruv Jurel. It will be an early start in Kolkata. So can Nitish Reddy play the role of the third seamer? Then you can use Nitish Reddy with two seamers, and three spinners will come in the second innings,” Parthiv Patel said, reported The Indian Express.
“Whether it was against the West Indies or wherever and whichever position Jurel has gotten to bat in, he has scored runs. The only thing is the combination you want to play with. If your combination is that you want to play an all-rounder, then he might not get a place,” he said.
Even at the international level, Jurel has shown more than enough promise, massing 430 runs across seven Tests, which includes a century and a fifty, averaging 47.77.
“However, if you want to play a pure batter, Dhruv Jurel can play there, and this management has already shown that kind of confidence in Dhruv Jurel once. He played as a batter in Perth. Although India won that Test match, he didn’t get a chance after that. I feel Dhruv Jurel has done enough to be considered as a batter in the Test team,” Parthiv observed.
India kick off their two-match Test series against South Africa on November 14 (Friday).