Former Australia captain Tim Paine praised Dhruv Jurel for his impressive batting on the bouncy Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch during the second unofficial Test between Australia A and India A.
Paine, who coached Australia A, watched the 23-year-old score 80 and 68 in the match and has backed the Indian wicketkeeper-batter to make a significant impact in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“There’s a guy who has wicket kept in a few Test matches for India. He averages 63 out of the three Tests he’s played, and his name is Dhruv Jurel” Paine said on ‘SEN Tassie’.
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Despite Jurel’s limited Test experience, Paine was impressed by his skill: “I don’t know if you saw much of the highlights, but after seeing him bat (against Australia A) – even though he’s a wicketkeeper, from what I’ve seen on this tour and from India’s batting in the last couple of months, I’d be staggered if he doesn’t play.”
Jurel made his Test debut for India against England earlier this year, scoring 46, 90, 39 not out, and 15 in his first three matches, with an impressive batting average of 63.
“He’s 23 and he’s played three Test matches, but he looked a class above all of his teammates, to be fair, and handled the pace and bounced really well, which can be unusual for an Indian player,” Paine said.
“He scored one of the more polished 80s I’ve seen, and we were all sitting around as staff of Cricket Australia and thought, ‘Wow, this guy can seriously play,’” he added.
With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy set to begin on November 22, Paine encouraged Australian fans to watch out for Jurel, who has made a compelling case for a spot in India’s Test XI. While Rishabh Pant is likely to keep the wicketkeeping role, Jurel’s impressive performances, including two fifties against Australia A, indicate that he could prove to be a valuable asset for the visitor.
“Keep an eye out for him this summer. I think he’s going to impress a lot of Australian fans.” “Even though it’s going to be another step up against the big three (of Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood), he looks like he has the game to play Test cricket,” Pane added.
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