Last update:November 12, 2024, 09:33 IST

Jurel replaced Ishan Kishan in India A’s XI for the second unofficial Test against Australia A and scored 80 and 62 in the two innings.

Former Australia captain Tim Paine is impressed by Dhruv Jurel’s knock for India A. (Photo credit: AFP)

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel was part of the India A playing XI in the second unofficial Test played against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In the match, which the hosts won by six wickets, 23-year-old Jurel top-scored for India A in both innings. He hit 80 runs off 186 balls in the first innings and scored 68 runs off 122 balls in the second. In his fifties, Jurel, who last played a Test match for India in March 2024 against England, made a case for his selection in India’s playing XI for the first Test of the upcoming Test series of five matches against Australia.

Former Australia captain Tim Paine, who watched the match closely at the MCG, was impressed with Jurel’s batting and had high praise for the youngster. According to him, Jurel will impress a lot of Australian fans with his performances in the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and will be disappointed if he does not get an opportunity to play.

“There is a guy who has kept wickets in a couple of Test matches for India. He averages 63 from the three Tests he has played and his name is Dhruv Jurel,” Paine said on SEN Tassie.

“I don’t know if you’ve seen a lot of the highlights (of the 2nd unofficial Test) but after seeing him bat (against Australia A) — even though he’s a wicketkeeper, from what I’ve seen in this tour and from India. batting in the last two months, I’d be stunned if he doesn’t play.”

“He scored one of the most exquisite 80s we’ve seen and we were all sitting there as Cricket Australia staff thinking, ‘Wow, this guy can seriously bowl,'” he added.

According to Paine, who suffered back-to-back defeats as Australian captain in the last two Test series played against India in Australia, Jurel is the one to watch and has everything in him to do well in Tests.

“Keep an eye on him this summer. I think it will impress a lot of Australian fans. Even though it will be another step up from the big three (Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood), he looks like he has the game to play Test cricket,” Paine said.

Since making his Test debut for Team India on 15 February 2024 against England in Rajkot, Jurel has played three matches and, with the help of a fifty, has 190 runs in four innings.