NEW DELHI: India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on Wednesday confirmed that in-form wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel will feature in the playing XI for the opening Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens, beginning Friday. The 24-year-old, who has been in stellar touch with the bat, has forced his way into the lineup, while young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is likely to miss out.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of the combination,” ten Doeschate said at the pre-match press conference. “Given the way Dhruv has gone in the last six months and scoring two hundreds in Bengaluru last week, he is certain to play this week.”
There had been speculation about Jurel’s place following Rishabh Pant’s return to the side after recovering from a fractured foot. However, the management has opted to retain both wicketkeeper-batters in the XI — with Jurel likely to play primarily as a specialist batter.Jurel smashed consecutive centuries (132 and 127) for India A against South Africa A last week. His remarkable consistency — with three centuries, one fifty, and one score above 40 in his last eight first-class innings — made his selection hard to ignore.
Poll
Will the combination of Jurel and Pant strengthen India’s batting lineup?
“I don’t think you can leave him out for this Test, that’s the short answer,” ten Doeschate said. “Obviously, you can only pick 11, so someone else will have to miss out. But I’d be very surprised if you don’t see Dhruv and Rishabh both playing this week.”On Nitish Kumar Reddy’s exclusion, the assistant coach said it was a strategic decision based on the conditions.“The primary thing is to set out a strategy to win the game. Nitish didn’t get much game time in Australia, and given the importance of this series and the conditions we expect, he might miss out this week,” he added.With the Eden Gardens Test marking the start of a high-stakes series against the World Test Champions, India appear set to field a strong, flexible lineup — one that blends the youth of Jurel with the experience of Pant.
