India vs England 2024: 3 Reasons why Dhruv Jurel deserves a spot over KS Bharat in playing XI

As per reports, the Indian team will look at Dhruv Jurel as the replacement for incumbent wicket-keeper batter KS Bharat. The uncapped player is expected to make his debut in the upcoming third Test against England in Rajkot, which is slated to start on February 15.

While KS Bharat has been decent behind the stumps, he has not been able to chip in with the bat and make significant contributions even in home conditions. He made his debut during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series but has not yet scored a half-century and has an unflattering average of 20.09 with the bat.

Here we take a look at 3 reasons why Dhruv Jurel should get his chance for the 3rd Test:

3. Younger option - Can be invested into

Dhruv Jurel is just 22 years old and in him, India has a young talent that can be invested into keeping in mind the future. Even when Rishabh Pant makes a comeback, Jurel can be the understudy in the squad and be a member of this team going forward.

Ishan Kishan is clearly not too bothered with first-class cricket and KS Bharat is over 30 years old, India could benefit from having a young wicket-keeping option like Dhruv Jurel for Test matches keeping in mind the future.

2. Solidity in the batting order

Barring a couple of individual brilliance, India’s batting has been sloppy in the first couple of matches. KS Bharat never seemed too keen to push on and transfer the pressure back onto the bowlers. This is where Jurel can come in handy - he is an aggressive batter who has been quite good in first-class cricket and can really go after the spinners if need be.

India need their lower order to stand up and contribute and Jurel can be the bridge between the regular batters and the all-rounders in the squad.

1. Impressive first-class numbers

Dhruv Jurel might have made his name in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), but is also a solid performer in first-class cricket.

In his 15 first-class matches, Jurel has scored 790 runs at an impressive average of 46.47, including one century and five half-centuries. He has been good for India A against South Africa A in Benoni and the other against England Lions at home.

Just before this series, he showed his worth with a resilient innings against Kerala earlier this month. He is just 22 and has all the promise to be a match-winner for India.