Rishabh Pant Or Dhruv Jurel? India Coach Clears Air Over Selection Headache: ‘You Can’t Drop Him’ (AP)
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has all but confirmed Dhruv Jurel’s selection in the playing XI for the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens from November 14. With Rishabh Pant back as a specialist keeper, there were doubts whether Jurel would retain his place, but Ten Doechate said that India will find a way to include both Pant and Jurel in the XI. For the unversed, Pant was out of action since the fourth Test against England, where he suffered a toe injury. Pant made a comeback ahead of the series, playing for India A and played innings of 90 and 65 in two games.
Meanwhile, Jurel was also in magnificent form and scored back-to-back hundreds against South Africa A in the second unofficial Test.
“I don’t think you can leave him out for this Test, is the short answer,” ten Doeschate said about Jurel. “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,” Ryan ten Doeschate told reporters.
Who’ll Miss Out On Playing XI?Ryan Ten Doeschate confirmed that all-rounder Nitish Reddy will miss out on the place to accommodate Jurel in the XI. “Our position hasn’t changed on Nitish. He didn’t get a chance in Australia. But looking at the challenge here, I think he’ll miss out from the XI this week.”
The conditions at the Eden Gardens will assist the spinners, and India can play two specialist seamers in Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, along with four spinners – Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja.
India’s Likely XI For 1st Test: Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj