NEW DELHI: As the India vs South Africa Test series approaches, the buzz surrounding the final playing eleven is growing. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has came up in with a tough selection call, suggesting that the form of wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel has made his inclusion in the Test side a necessity.
Jurel recently delivered back-to-back centuries (132* and 127) for India A in the unofficial Test series against South Africa A in Bengaluru. This performance has intensified the selection headache for the national selectors.
Form can’t be ignored! Dhruv Jurel to feature as specialist batter against South Africa
The Case for Dhruv Jurel
Chopra emphasized that while Rishabh Pant must retain his spot due to his vice-captaincy and status as a generational talent, Jurel also deserves a place in the starting XI. He believes the management should actively create space to incorporate both players into the line-up.
Chopra explained his reasoning on his YouTube channel, saying:
"The team has been selected and both Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant are there. Rishabh Pant will play. Rishabh Pant is the vice-captain. So he is going to play and he should play. He is a generational talent if you talk about Test cricket, but I feel Dhruv Jurel should also be played. A place should be created for him in the XI."
A tough middle-order call
To achieve this balance, the former batter offered a specific, aggressive solution that involves restructuring the middle order. He suggested that the team should not disrupt the stability of Sai Sudharsan at the number three position.
Instead, Chopra looked at the lower-middle order, making a pointed recommendation to accommodate the in-form specialist batter:
“You haven’t seen Nitish Kumar Reddy perform his role effectively so far, so it might be better to drop him and include Dhruv Jurel instead.”
