IND vs SA: Will Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant be part of India playing 11 for the 1st Test?
India’s young wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel believes that there is no competition between him and senior wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, and that both are focused on taking the Indian Test team to new heights. Rishabh Pant is set to make his international comeback after suffering an injury in England. He had injured his right toe during the fourth Test against England, which ruled him out of the West Indies series.
In his absence, Jurel was included in the playing XI, and he played brilliantly in that series. In two Tests and three innings, Jurel scored a total of 175 runs, including one century.
Now, with Pant’s return, there is speculation that both Pant and Jurel might feature together in the playing XI for the upcoming series against South Africa. Before this, both had played together against Australia in the Perth test in 2024. Ahead of the match, when asked about Pant, Jurel expressed his happiness over Pant’s return to the team.
"There is no competition between me and Rishabh bhai. Both of us are playing for India, and whoever plays, the motive is the same: to make India win. If he plays, I am happy. If I play, I am happy. If we play together, even better. The only focus is the team," said Jurel.
Jurel also talked about his international debut series. He made his test debut against England at Rajkot in February 2024. In that series, he scored 190 runs in 4 innings, including a half-century.
"It was a surreal moment for me to make my debut for India. Playing Test cricket was my childhood dream. Getting that first cap felt like I was on cloud seven. It was very special," he said.
Dhruv Jurel also spoke about the upcoming test series against South Africa. He said we are very excited and fully prepared for the current World Test Champions Challenge.
"It's going to be a very exciting battle. Both teams have strong fast-bowling attacks. Whether it's Rabada and Marco Jansen from their side, or Bumrah bhai from ours, there's quality all around.”
“At the end of the day, if you want to win a match, you have to step up against good teams. South Africa are World Test Champions, so it's going to be a good challenge. I'm looking forward to it."
Furthermore, Jurel believes that he will perform well in this series. He ended up talking about his strategy and perspective going into the series.
"I am very confident that I'll be able to contribute to the team. As a cricketer, the best feeling is when you come back to your room after the match and feel like you've done something for your team and that helped the team win.”
“Every time I go in to bat, I look at the situation and think about what the team needs from me at that moment, and I try to play accordingly."
The much-awaited India Vs. South Africa two-match test series will start on November 14. The first test will be held at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. With this, after a 6-year-long gap, Eden Gardens will host a test match. Last time, in 2019, India hosted a test match against Bangladesh at this ground.
