NEW DELHI: India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on Wednesday confirmed that in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel will feature in the playing eleven for the opening Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens starting on Friday. The 24-year-old, who has been in great touch with the bat, has made his way into the line-up, while young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is unlikely to miss out.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!“I think we have a pretty good idea of the combination,” said Doeschate at the pre-match press conference. “Given the way Dhruv has been in the last six months and scored two hundreds in Bengaluru last week, it is certain that he will play this week.”
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There was speculation about Jurel’s place following Rishabh Pant’s return to the side after recovering from a broken foot. However, the management decided to keep both wicket-keeper batsmen in the eleven – with Jurel likely to play primarily as a specialist batsman.Jurel smashed back-to-back centuries (132 and 127) for India A against South Africa A last week. His remarkable consistency – with three centuries, one fifty and one score above 40 in his last eight first-class innings – made his selection hard to ignore.
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Will Jurel and Pant combination strengthen India’s batting line-up?
“I don’t think you can miss him in this test, that’s the short answer,” said the Doeschate. “Obviously you can only pick 11 so someone else will have to miss out. But I’d be very surprised if you don’t see Dhruv and Rishabh playing this week.”On Nitish Kumar Reddy’s dismissal, the assistant coach said it was a strategic decision based on the conditions.“The primary thing is to strategize to win the match. Nitish did not get much game time in Australia and given the importance of this series and the conditions we expect, he may miss this week,” he added.With the Eden Gardens Test marking the start of a high-stakes series against the world Test champions, India look set to field a strong and flexible line-up – one that combines the youth of Jurel with the experience of Pant.
