Dhruv Jurel or Jitesh Sharma - who should be India's wicket-keeper for 1st T20I vs Zimbabwe?
A young Indian squad is all set to play a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe from July 6 to 14. The Harare Sports Club will host all matches of the series.
Shubman Gill will lead the pack, with the presence of talented batters like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma and Dhruv Jurel. Meanwhile, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar and Ravi Bishnoi form a potent bowling attack.
T20 World Cup squad members like Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal will miss the first two T20Is, due to the delayed landing in India and a victory parade in Mumbai. B Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana were named as respective replacements.
In the absence of first-choice wicket-keeper Samson, the team management will have to choose between Dhruv Jurel and Jitesh Sharma to fill the slot in the XI. Let's take a look at who among the two warrants a place in the first T20I against Zimbabwe.
IPL 2024 form
Playing for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, Dhruv Jurel garnered 195 runs in 14 innings at an average of 24.38 and a strike rate of 138.53, with two fifties. He returned with a match-winning knock of 52* off 34 balls and an unbeaten 121-run stand with Sanju Samson against the Lucknow Super Giants.
Jurel ended the tournament by scoring 56* off 35 in the Qualifier 1 against SunRisers Hyderabad. However, the knock came in a losing cause, but his ability to play clutch knocks was well on witness for the cricket fraternity and fans.
Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma had a disappointing IPL 2024 campaign for the Punjab Kings. He compiled 187 runs in 14 innings at an average of 17 and a strike rate of 131.69. His top knock of 32* off 15 came in a losing cause against the SunRisers Hyderabad in his latest appearance.
Winner: Dhruv Jurel
T20 record
Overall, Jurel has been a part of 38 T20s, scoring 439 runs at an average of 21.95 at a strike rate of 137.61, with two fifties.
On the other hand, Sharma is far more experienced in the shortest format of the game. The 30-year-old has garnered 2,490 runs in 120 T20s at an average of 26.21, with 10 fifties and a century. His top score of 106 came for Vidarbha against Himachal Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2015/16.
Winner: Jitesh Sharma
International performances
Dhruv Jurel made his international debut in a Test fixture earlier this year against England. He emerged as the backbone in the middle-order and played a key role in India's 4-1 series victory over England. Jurel scored 190 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 63.33, with a best knock of 90 in Ranchi.
Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma has played nine T20Is for the national team, with his last appearance coming against Afghanistan in January this year. He has scored 100 runs at an average of 14.28, with a top knock of 35 off 19 against Australia in Raipur.
Winner: Dhruv Jurel
Dhruv Jurel should play ahead of Jitesh Sharma in India's playing XI
As per the IPL 2024 performances and international record, Dhruv Jurel seems to be the right fit for the Indian team for the first T20I against Zimbabwe on July 6.
Although Jitesh Sharma is an experienced campaigner in T20s, he hasn't been consistent with his contributions. It will be interesting to see which one of the two finds a place in the XI.