Dhruv Jurel has made his intent clear with a fighting half-century against Australia ‘A’ ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). Flown in early alongside KL Rahul to play against Australia ‘A’, Jurel stood tall against all odds at one end on Thursday, while his teammates merely surrendered in front Michael Neser (4/27) and Beau Webster (3/19).
Batting first, India A were in a disastrous position with their top four batters back in the hut with just 11 runs on the board. It was a 53-run stand between Devdutt Padikkal (26) and Jurel that revived the visitor’s innings. Nitesh Reddy, who made his international debut against Bangladesh in T20Is last month, tried his best with 16 but couldn't continue longer.
Jurel, who impressed with his batting in his debut Test series against England earlier this year, stood like a rock on a tricky Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch. He started slowly but slowly and steadily found gaps against the likes of Boland and Nesser.
Not only did he fight in the middle, Jurel’s calm and composed innings also forced the commentators to draw comparisons with former India captain Virat Kohli, who had enjoyed extensive success on Australian soil. “There's a lot of Virat Kohli's mannerisms in this young man Dhruv Jurel," the commentators said.
Jurel's gritty show at the MCG gives the Indian thinktank a welcome option in the middle order and could possibly replace Sarfaraz Khan, adding more depth in the middle order. Despite his maiden Test hundred against New Zealand, Sarfaraz's approach during crunch situations was heavily criticised.
The inclusion of Jurel in the playing XI could also lessen the burden on wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant as the former, being a specialist 'keeper, can stand behind stumps, thus giving his senior some break in the middle.
Meanwhile, BCCI's idea of sending Rahul early and possibly getting more game time in Australia hit a roadblock as the right-hander was dismissed for just four runs. With Rohit Sharma unlikely to play in the first Test in Perth, Rahul is being seen as a possible replacement at the top of the order.
India could have given Bengal's Abhimanyu Easwaran a debut cap, but the southpaw's failures in both the games against Australia A so far may have prompted Gautam Gambhir and team management to have a rethink.
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