"Got a golden chance" - Fans erupt as Dhruv Jurel replaces KS Bharat in playing XI for IND vs ENG 3rd Test
Uttar Pradesh's keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel is set to make his Team India debut in the third Test of the ongoing home series against England at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Thursday, February 15.
Jurel earned his maiden India call-up after being named in the squad for the first two England Tests. However, he was benched for those games, with KS Bharat getting the nod over him.
With Bharat failing to make the most of his opportunities, the team management replaced him with Jurel for the Rajkot Test. Following the announcement of the playing XI, several fans took to social media, expressing their delight over Jurel's inclusion.
Here are some of the top reactions:
Dhruv Jurel received his Test cap from veteran Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. The 23-year-old averages 46.47 in first-class cricket, having chalked up 790 runs from 19 innings.
Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj come in as India make four changes for Rajkot Test
Team India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first in the third Test. The hosts made four changes to their lineup, with Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj replacing KS Bharat, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, and Mukesh Kumar, respectively.
Speaking at the toss, Rohit said:
"We're going to bat first. We've made some changes, made four changes. Some injuries and some guys coming back from the last game. Two debutants. Siraj and Jadeja are back. Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar miss out. Looks a good pitch, better than the last two we've played on. Rajkot is known to be a good pitch but it'll deteriorate as it goes. The guys have stood up and done the job for the team when it was needed. The next three Test matches will be as exciting as the first two. Need to keep our focus here and see how we can do well."
Here are the two playing XIs for the 3rd IND vs ENG Test:
IND: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
ENG: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson