Dhruv Yurel was a revelation for Team India in the Ranchi Test match against England. On Days 3 and 4, on a track with uneven bounce, he produced two brilliant knocks, including an inspiring 90-degree shot, showing great composure and maturity as India finished 5 won the series 3-1. After being awarded the Man of the Match award for his stellar performance, the question that immediately arose in the post-match discussions was whether Jurel would retain his place when India play their next Test match in September, while Ray Shabhu Pant aims to return to cricket.
Pant was India’s main wicketkeeping option across formats until that unfortunate night in December 2022 when he met with a tragic car accident. With the youngster on the sidelines, India gave KS Bharat an extended spell in the first half of 2023 before finding a suitable option in Ishan Kishan. However, India experimented with KL Rahul’s role during the tour of South Africa and then returned to a more professional role for the first two games against England in the ongoing series after the latter opted to rest due to mental health issues in December. The choice of Bharat.
As Bharat continued his poor form with the bat, not scoring a fifty in seven games, India bet on Jurel. The youngster showed his ability with the bat and gloves on his debut in Rajkot and then produced a first-class performance in Ranchi that drew comparisons with the legendary MS Dhoni.
Jurel will get another chance to showcase his talent in the fifth Test in Dharamshala next week. But India will play their next series against Bangladesh in September. Apart from Bharat, the team management has another main keeper option in Pant, who will return to IPL 2024 after 13 months.
Talking about the selection conundrum that will be faced by the Indian team management later this year, India legend Anil Kumble chose to sidestep the debate but admitted that Jurel has all the qualifications to achieve what Dhoni has achieved in his career .
“Dhruv Jurel has all the qualifications to achieve what MS Dhoni has achieved”
“Oh yes, and Rishabh Pant. We certainly don’t know when he will be back, whenever he will be back. Hopefully Rishabh will be back soon. But other than that, yes, he certainly has what it takes to get to MS (Dhoni). All the credentials to get to the place in his career. But he showed that he showed his technical temperament not only when defending, but also when attacking. Even in the first game, he was very sure Chasing and then hitting those big sixes while batting with the tail even behind the stumps is a tribute to everyone,” Kumble said on Jio Cinema.
“He was outstanding. Especially the faster bowlers. The spinners got a couple of really good catches again and he’s only going to improve. It’s only his second Test and I’m sure as he starts to bowl More and more, he’s only going to get more and better. It’s only going to be good for India. Having him in the team is special. Yeah, I mean, it’s not going to be easy for KS Bharat. But That’s why I said the selectors picked him after seeing he had played just 15 first-class games. Well, that’s the guy we believed in and introduced him in the last Test. Since then, He’s been doing well and he’s been in the game because batting is really something I always feel, I don’t want to bowl. There’s no interest in it at all because that’s not my intention,” he added.