Jurel lifts India’s bleak batting mood ahead of Australia Tests
Hindustan TimesMumbai: For an India Test team that has landed in Australia still reeling from the collective batting slumps at home against New Zealand, it would surely be a welcome ray of sunshine. While the bunch of specialist batters in India A failed in the second unofficial Test loss to Australia A, they might have found the most assured candidate for the upcoming series – Dhruv Jurel. Different grounds will have different conditions and accordingly you can change the playing XI,” said Pandit, for whom Jurel’s versatility as a batter was apparent after he ground out a 104-ball 46 on debut. “He scored one of the more polished 80s I’ve seen, and we were all sitting around as staff of Cricket Australia and thinking, ‘Wow, this guy can seriously play’,” Paine said. “After seeing him bat – even though he’s a wicketkeeper, from what I’ve seen on this tour and from India’s batting in the last couple of months, I’d be staggered if he doesn’t play.” Jurel’s chance is unlikely to come straightaway in the Test series, but with his impressive showing he will be the first option the captain looks at if any of the specialist batters struggle to cope.