Indian Team Management Backs Dhruv Jurel for 1st Test Match Against South Africa

The rising wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel is set to retain his place in the Playing XI of the Indian team for the first test match against South Africa. With the return of Rishabh Pant, it was earlier speculated that Jurel might lose his spot in the upcoming test series. However, the team management is firmly backing the young batter, saying that leaving him out with this form is quite difficult.

Dhruv Jurel is currently in a stellar form, as his bat churned out plenty of runs during the last West Indies series. He played both matches of the series in the absence of Rishabh Pant, scoring a magnificent hundred in the first game in Ahmedabad. He is also in red-hot form in the domestic circuit, where he has scored plenty of runs recently.

While speaking to the media, Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate gave a strong hint that Dhruv Jurel will retain his spot in the Playing XI of the Indian team. He said leaving Jurel out of the first test is impossible, and the team management has a good idea about the combination that will take on South Africa at the Eden Gardens.

"I don't think you can leave him out for this Test, is the short answer. But obviously, you can only pick 11 as well, so someone else will have to miss out. I think we've got a pretty good idea of the combination," said Indian assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate.

He said Dhruv recently scored two back-to-back hundreds in Bangalore last week. This tells a lot about his form and the way he is evolving quickly in test cricket. Regarding the combination of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel, he said that these players provide India with great flexibility in the lineup. Their presence makes it possible for the Indian team to feature both Rishabh and Jurel in the upcoming test without compromising anything in bowling.

"Given the way Dhruv's gone in the last six months, scoring two hundreds in Bangalore last week, he's certain to play this week. Again, like what I mentioned about Washy [Washington Sundar], Axar [Patel], Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja], for me, you've actually got three batters there. So it does give us a lot of flexibility. But I'd be very surprised if we don't see Dhruv and Rishabh playing in this Test this week," said Ryan ten Doeschate.

During the West Indies series, India said that the all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is a great prospect for the national team in red-ball cricket. Keeping that in view, they gave chances in the two matches, in which he performed decently.

Surprisingly, the all-rounder has now been left out of the first test against South Africa. According to India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, the nature of the test match played a key role in taking this tough decision.

"The primary thing is to set out a strategy to win the game, and then if you can accommodate giving guys a chance for development, that comes in. Our position certainly hasn't changed on Nitish. He didn't get much game time in [the white-ball series in] Australia, but I would say, given the importance of the series and given the conditions we think we're going to face, he might miss out in this Test this week," said Ryan ten Doeschate.

Speaking about the combination of the South African team, he said the visitors might use three spinners in their bowling lineup. The recent success of South Africa in Pakistan certainly validates this claim, as now they will try to utilize the same attack to challenge India at Eden Gardens.

"Most likely they'll play three [spinners], and it's a little bit like playing against a subcontinent team," ten Doeschate said. "You normally worry about the pace attack first [when you face South Africa]. And I'm pretty sure they'll go with two seamers and three spinners,” said Ryan ten Doeschate.

The first test match between India and South Africa is slated to start from November 14. It would be an interesting contest because both teams are coming into this series on the back of a strong performance, indicating their solid form in the ongoing WTC cycle.