India A vs Australia A: Just a few days ago, Dhruv Jurel joined the India A squad in Melbourne. When he batted in the second and final ‘unofficial’ Test match against Australia A at the MCG on Thursday, his side was on the verge of defeat. With their backs to the wall, the visitors fell to 11-4 by the third over, quickly eliminating the India A top four.

However, Jurel, who joined the team along with KL Rahul after India’s Test series against New Zealand concluded on Sunday, proved to be India A’s savior. On a pace-friendly ground, the 23-year-old did not seem out of place in his maiden long-format encounter in Australia. He batted confidently and scored a valiant 80 (186 balls; 6×4, 2×6).

Jurel single-handedly guided the visitors to 161 in their first innings on a day when the top-order batsmen, including opener Rahul, were dancing to the beat of the Australian pacers. Australia A’s comeback was 53-2 at stumps.

Jurel will undoubtedly be a candidate for a berth in the starting lineup when India plays Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Perth starting on November 22 after his valiant effort under trying circumstances. On Thursday, he demonstrated a variety of strokes, including back-foot punches, square cuts, cover drives, flicks, and pull shots, all while maintaining a terrific demeanor and balancing prudence and aggressiveness. His upper-cut off Michael Neser over the slips’ head for a four was the most notable; it served as a reminder to the team management that the Uttar Pradesh player is not lacking in bravery.

The No. 6 spot in the Indian squad is now available after Sarfaraz Khan failed in four consecutive innings against New Zealand. Jurel, a wicketkeeper as well, is clearly in the running for the prestigious five-match assignment, as shown by the fact that he was forced to fly early.

Devang Gandhi, a former opener for India and a national selector, said that Jurel could compete on difficult wickets. “Jurel had little time to prepare for the Australia A game. He demonstrated his abilities despite being added at the last minute and without much preparation, Gandhi told Media.

Gandhi supported Jurel’s selection in the starting lineup, but he also said that if he is directly against the Karnataka player, the management could choose Rahul’s expertise. “Jurel should bat at number six if Rahul is moved up to the top of the order without Rohit Sharma. The first-choice No. 6 should be Rahul if Rohit is available. If so, Jurel ought to be a fantastic backup that may be used throughout the series,” Gandhi said.

Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, called Jurel a “phenomenal player” during the September–October home Test series against Bangladesh. He also said that he would have to wait for chances since Rishabh Pant is the obvious first-choice wicketkeeper-batter. However, given that captain Rohit recently acknowledged that Pant’s workload has to be “managed carefully,” Jurel may also play a part behind the wickets.