Courtesy: CA/X
Following a splendid display of batting for India A against Australia A in the second unofficial Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Dhruv Jurel took to his official X account to remark that his first experience of playing on Aussie soil was “enjoyable.” The 23-year-old also looked forward to “learning and contributing more,” and with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) around the corner, he stated his intention to be in the Indian playing XI versus Australia.
Notably, after a fabulous start to his Test career at the start of 2024 against England at home, which saw him play a major role in India’s win in Ranchi, Dhruv Jurel is waiting for his chance to be in the playing XI in the longest format of the game. During his first three Tests for the Indian cricket team, the right-handed batter scored 190 runs in four innings at a splendid average of 63.33, with the highest score of 90.
Dhruv Jurel's twin fifties allowed India A to compete well against Australia A in second unofficial Test
After warming the bench in the recently concluded Test series at home against New Zealand, Dhruv Jurel was sent to Australia to take part in India A’s second unofficial Test against Australia A. On his first outing in a competitive game on the Aussie soil, Jurel scored a couple of fifties (80 and 68) when some of his teammates were unable to survive, let alone put together an innings of substance.
Although India A went on to lose a low-scoring game by six wickets, to concede the two-match unofficial Test series 0-2, the exceptional batting performances from Dhruv Jurel will keep him in great stead if he gets to play in the BGT Test series. With the first Test set between Australia and India to begin on November 22, Jurel wrote on X, “Enjoyable first time batting on Aussie soil. Looking forward to learning and contributing more!”
With Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul getting only one score of substance in their last six innings in Test cricket this year in the middle order for India, the selectors might be tempted to play in-form Dhruv Jurel ahead of them in the first BGT Test match at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
