Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said that Team India should try Dhruv Jurel for the third Test against England at Rajkot, saying that the young wicketkeeper-batter looks a more “exciting investment”. The third Test between India and England will take place on Rajkot from Thursday onwards. The series is level at 1-1. In the absence of stars like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli etc and KS Bharat’s poor performances with the bat, the Indian middle-order could boast of new stars from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Ranji Trophy circuit like Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan and wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel in the third Test.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar said, “I think so that India should bring in Dhruv Jurel… but I believe that it is a very short-term sort of role that has to be filled before Rishabh Pant comes in and takes his rightful place. So, it is a great time to look at another option.”
“You have seen enough of KS Bharat now to see what he is all about and what is the return you get from investing in him. I find Dhruv Jurel a more exciting investment at this stage,” added Manjrekar.
Bharat has scored 221 runs at an average of 20.09 in seven Tests he has played so far in his career, with the best score of 44. While the 30-year-old has had some fine moments as a keeper, he has disappointed with the bat in his brief run.
Even though the 23-year-old batter Jurel is yet to make his debut he has displayed a quality performance in the iconic T20 tournament, Indian Premier League, where he appeared in 13 matches and scored 152 runs at 21.71 with a strike rate of 172.73 last season, thriving as a hard-hitting, lower-order finisher.
Also, in 15 First-Class (FC) matches, Jurel has scored 790 runs at an average of 46.47, with a century and five fifties in 19 innings. His best score is 249. Jurel represents Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket.
The third Test will commence on February 15 in Rajkot while the fourth Test kickstarts in Ranchi on February 23 The fifth and final Test of the series will be played in Dharamsala from March 7. The series is currently level 1-1. After a 28-run loss in the first Hyderabad Test, India won the second Test at Visakhapatnam by 106 runs.
India’s updated Squad for the third Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Devdutt Padikkal.
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