India’s Jurel dilemma turns more complex

Out of sight can often quickly morph to out of mind. Rishabh Pant, however, commands a body of work so extensive and proven that messing with it wouldn't be advisable.

- Somshuvra Laha

What about Dhruv Jurel though? A recurring theme of his career has been that of an understudy who is picked when Pant is unavailable. But even that arrangement has to give ‘way to something more permanent if the performance warrants it. And Jurel is nearly there.

Over the years, the boundaries between a batter and a wicket-keeper batter have begun to overlap, pushing out the specialist keeping genre in favour of a slightly compromised version that may drop a few catches but is more likely to compensate with batting consistency.

Pant epitomised that culture, quickly scoring hundreds in England, Australia and South Africa even though the keeping standards took some hits. Jurel’s game is an extension of that culture but with more acceptable results very early into his career.

Getting up as late as possible, keeping his eyes on the ball till the last millisecond, Jurel’s keeping ticked all the basics on debut, that too in Indian conditions.