Ravi Shastri said that Dhruv Jurel has the potential to fit into India’s playing XI as a specialist batter. In the Perth Test against Australia, Jurel is one of the contenders to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order along with Abhimanyu Easwaran and KL Rahul in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, who is yet to recover from a thumb fracture.
Shastri said that Jurel is a batter, who has a strong temperament and is someone who can thrive under pressure. Jurel has had an impressive Test career thus far, having scored 190 runs from three games at an average of 63.33 with a fifty and a top score of 90 to show for his efforts.
“I think he can easily play as a batter. For me, what impressed me most was his temperament. His calmness when the chips were down and the tightness he has brought to his game, especially under pressure. Under pressure, you can see a lot of players struggling. You can see them being fidgety, you can see them being all over the shop. You can see those nerves coming through but in this guy’s case, his temperament stood out,” Shastri said in a video on ICC’s social media.
‘Jurel has got the range of shots’
Shastri said that he was impressed with Jurel’s performance in the series against England. He missed out on his maiden hundred by a whisker in the Ranchi Test, but India won the match by five wickets. Jurel also made 39 runs in the second innings and won the Player of the Match.
“When the chips were down in that series against England, he stepped up to the plate. So I like what I saw and I will be quite prepared to give him a go if he’s in good nick. I think seeing his form, he got 80 and 60 (in the India A game) and then that will do his confidence a world of good. And he’s got the range of shots as well. It’s not that he’s just a blocker there. He can play shots and can bat with the tail as well,” Shastri added.
The first Test at the Perth Stadium starts on Friday, November 22 as India look to win their third Test series on the trot on Australian soil after 2018-19 and 2020-21.
