[Watch] Dhruv Jurel shines with brilliant 68-run knock on Day 3 of IND-A vs AUS-A 2nd Unofficial Test 2024
India A wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel continued his impressive form, notching up his second half-century of the match on Day 3 of the second Unofficial Test against Australia A on Saturday, November 9. The game was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Coming in to bat at No. 6 with India A struggling at 44/4, Jurel shared a crucial 94-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Nitish Reddy (38). The 23-year-old played a steady knock of 68 off 122 balls, including five boundaries. India A posted 229 in their second innings, setting Australia A a target of 168.
Here’s a video of Jurel’s innings:
In the fourth innings, Australia A suffered early blows as Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft were dismissed for golden ducks in the first over, both falling to Prasidh Krishna. However, a superb unbeaten fifty from Sam Konstas (73*) and a solid contribution from Beau Webster (46*) guided the hosts to a comfortable six-wicket victory.
Although India A lost the match, Dhruv Jurel's performance was a major highlight. He was the only India batter, who looked solid at the crease throughout, contributing significantly in both innings. Jurel was the lone standout in the first innings as well, top-scoring with 80 runs off 186 balls while India A managed just 161 runs in total.
Dhruv Jurel has played three Tests for India
The wicketkeeper-batter made his debut for India earlier this year during the Test series against England. He scored 190 runs in three matches at an impressive average of 63.33, including one half-century.
With other Indian middle-order batters struggling for form and Jurel showcasing his ability, there's a strong possibility he could be included as a pure batter in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar 2024-25 Test series. The high-profile series begins on November 22 in Perth.
Here’s India’s 18-member squad for the five-match Test series against Australia: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), R. Ashwin, R. Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar.