Time for India to Create a Place for Jurel in the Test Side

There’s an old phrase: “First impression is always the best impression.” On certain occasions, that statement might seem like a cliche. But at least in the case of Dhruv Jurel, it holds true. By the time Jurel entered the Test arena against England in Rajkot, there were already whispers about his immense potential and sound temperament.

However, as Jurel walked out to replace nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav, one wondered whether he would have a few butterflies in his stomach. The reality was somewhat different. James Anderson, the experienced pace bowler, employed his archetypal outswinger that slanted in a touch and moved away from the batter. Jurel was up to the task, the back foot activated quickly, the front foot moved across slightly, and he covered the off stump to let the ball go.

The result of the next delivery was similar. The narrative of Jurel’s beginnings in Test cricket was that of a batter who not only possessed a watertight defence but also the mental ability to thrive on the big stage. In the very next Test, Jurel essayed game-changing knocks to steer his country to a series-clinching victory.

Despite all his credentials, and despite averaging close to 50 in Test cricket, Jurel hasn’t been able to cement his place in the Test side. The Indian think-tank’s tendency to balance the XI with a seam-bowling all-rounder is one of the reasons he hasn’t secured a consistent berth in the playing line-up. Naturally, with Rishabh Pant returning to the Test set-up after his horrific accident, Jurel couldn’t find a place as a keeper-batter.

In such circumstances, the best Jurel can do is continue to perform consistently on the field. He is doing exactly that, having cracked a hundred in each innings of the ongoing India A versus South Africa A four-day game. His first-innings effort, in particular, took India A to safer waters after they had found themselves in deep trouble at 126 for 7.

The salient feature of Jurel’s innings was the extra time he seemed to have on the back foot to play square cuts and punches while facing Tiaan van Vuuren and Okuhle Cele. The essence of his batting was quite clear — with the ball seaming around in the first innings, he showcased a watertight front-foot defence and waited for the South African pacers to bang it in shorter.

There’s something else worth studying about Jurel: his batting smarts, which help him farm the strike while batting with the lower order. In the first innings, Jurel added 129 runs for the last three wickets, while in the second, he combined with Harsh Dubey to stitch a potentially match-winning stand of 184. Even during his debut Test series, the highlight of his career-defining knock in Ranchi was how well he shepherded the lower order in the first dig.

Logic says Jurel has to be one of the main building blocks of India’s Test side going forward. If there’s no place for Jurel in the line-up, then it’s better to create one!