Young wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel has been garnering massive praise from fans and experts for his impressive knocks in the Ranchi Test which India won by 5 wickets. Playing just the second Test of his career, the Uttar Pradesh batter scored a valiant 90 in the first innings when the hosts wanted someone to stay put and reduce the deficit. In the second essay, he scored a match-winning 39 not out and featured in a 52-run unbeaten stand with Shubman Gill as India successfully chased down 192 on a tricky Ranchi track.
Jurel’s performance earned him the Player of the Match award, also leading to a discussion about whether he would retain his place with Rishabh Pant aiming a comeback to cricket. The latter has been out of action since surviving a horrific car crash in December 2022 and is currently working on his comeback, like to be in the forthcoming IPL 2024.
Former India captain Anil Kumble didn’t delve too much into the selection debate but admitted that Jurel has all the credentials to achieve what Dhoni did in his career.
“Oh yes, there’s Rishabh Pant. We don’t know of course when he comes, comes back whenever that happens. Sooner hopefully for Rishabh. But otherwise, yes, he certainly has all the credentials to get to where MS (Dhoni) reached in his career,” Kumble said on Jio Cinema.
“But he’s shown that he’s not just shown the temperament of his technique to defence but even when he’s attacking. Even in that first innings he was very assured he went after and then hit those big sixes when he was batting with the tail and hats off even behind the stumps,” he added.
