Dhruv Jurel isn’t fairly expressive. He is calm, although not usually quiet. He comes with a constructive mindset, and is all the time able to put within the laborious yards.
The son of a military man, he focuses on ‘process’ and ‘discipline’. Those two phrases, he believes, have helped him develop as a cricketer. In a aggressive atmosphere, the place alternative doesn’t come straightforward, lengthy waits could usually make or break careers, and for Jurel, it has been a protracted eight-month wait since his final Test outing in Perth final November.
But the 24-year-old has taken it in his stride.
Ever since touchdown in England a few months in the past, Jurel has featured in simply two video games for India-A, the place he scored 227 runs in 4 innings and claimed seven catches. But within the senior crew, Jurel has been below the shadow of Rishabh Pant, the crew’s vice-captain and the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter.
While Pant featured in all three Tests within the sequence up to now, Jurel labored intently with fielding coach T. Dilip and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak over the final a number of weeks to verify he stays match and within the groove.
When India had a protracted session at Beckenham earlier this week, Jurel was among the many first few batters to have a protracted session within the nets. As bowling coach Morne Morkel aimed at Jurel’s stumps to check his outdoors edge, the teenager remained unperturbed and seemed assured all through.
And as India gears up for the must-win fourth Test at Old Trafford, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate indicated that if Pant, who damage his left index finger in the course of the Lord’s Test, isn’t able to hold the wickets, India could look at Jurel. In that case, Pant could be used as a specialist batter. Jurel, being a gentle middle-order batter, could additionally add depth to the batting division.
However, if each Jurel and Pant find yourself taking part in collectively, it will be a range headache for the crew administration. But sources indicated that Pant will be monitored over the subsequent couple of days earlier than taking a name.
“We don’t want to go through that again where we have to replace the keeper halfway through in the innings. We are just trying to give (Pant’s finger) as long as possible (to heal), and hopefully he’s good to go in Manchester in the first training session,” Doeschate stated, including: “Jurel is in the equation.”
In the earlier Test, Jurel got here in as Pant’s substitute after the latter damage his finger, and ended up conceding 25 byes within the second innings, as India went down by 22 runs to concede a 1-2 lead within the five-match sequence. But it’s not simply Jurel, a number of wicket-keepers have struggled in England the place the ball wobbles so much as soon as it goes previous the batter.
Despite incomes reward from the cricketing fraternity, it has nonetheless been a protracted wait for Jurel. But now, with the sequence on the road and the crew administration not keen to danger Pant, he could simply get fortunate.
