IND vs AUS: Dhruv Jurel to be slotted in India squad at the 11th hour; MCG heroics rise stocks

Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia, young Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel is making the noise for all good reasons at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne.

He is currently playing for India A in the second four-day match against Australia A. After losing the first unofficial Test match, India A were hoping for a strong start, but they endured a tough time while batting first against Australia A on Day 1 of the ongoing second four-day match at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on Thursday, November 7.

Dhruv Jurel shines with gritty fifty as India A bounce back against Australia A

After Abhimanyu Easwaran (0), KL Rahul (4), Sai Sudharsan (0), and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (4) felt cheaply, Devdutt Padikkal showed some resistance by scoring 26 runs off 55 balls against Australia A. But it was Dhruv Jurel who stole the show with his brilliant batting brilliance under pressure.

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Coming to bat at No. 6, the young Indian wicketkeeper-batter justified his selection in the Test squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia with a gritty fifty on Day 1 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The 23-year-old was drafted into the India A squad ahead of the second four-day game, and he made an instant impact on the Australian soil.

Dhruv Jurel walked in when India A were reeling at 11/4 within the first three overs and played a stabilizing role, adding 53 runs for the fifth wicket with Devdutt Padikkal. They were rebuilding the innings, with Jurel focusing on playing the ball late and leaving deliveries outside the off-stump, but he has not gotten much support from the other end.

Dhruv Jurel plays key role in India A's first innings recovery

He then partnered with Nitish Kumar Reddy (16) for 39 runs for the sixth wicket and later added another 36 runs with Prasidh Krishna (14), to help India A post a respectable total of 161 runs on the board in the first innings against Australia A in the ongoing second unofficial Test match at the MCG.

Jurel played a resilient knock of 80 runs off 186 balls, including two sixes—one of which was a powerful pick-up shot off Scott Boland—and six fours against Australia A during the first innings of the ongoing second unofficial Test in Melbourne.

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The right-handed batter was eventually dismissed after being caught out by Oliver Davies off Nathan McSweeney's delivery. However, Jurel has done enough to stake his claim for a spot in India’s XI for the first Test of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia in Perth.

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Jurel’s fighting fifty came at the perfect time when KL Rahul yet again failed to score in the tour game, and his knock would definitely not go unnoticed by the Indian team management and the selectors, especially when the senior batters are struggling with the bat in red-ball cricket.

It was a timely reminder from Jurel to bat on him for the upcoming five-match Test series between India and Australia, starting on November 22 in Perth, after missing the chance to feature in the Playing XI during their embarrassing whitewash in a home Test series against New Zealand.