Dhruv Jurel made the headlines in Ahmedabad after scoring a brilliant century against West Indies.
The young keeper-batter batted with maturity and calmness beyond his age. His knock of 125 runs has now started a new debate- can Jurel play purely as a specialist batter in Test cricket?
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Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels the answer is yes.
What did Aakash Chopra say about Dhruv Jurel’s role in the team?
Sharing his views after the second day’s play, Chopra said that Jurel’s wicketkeeping should be seen as an extra skill and not something that holds him back.
He stressed that the youngster has shown enough quality with the bat to be looked at as a frontline option.
According to Chopra, Jurel has proved that whenever he gets a chance, he delivers like a top-order batter.
"He definitely can. The way he has batted, he has shown that he has the ability. Whenever he has got the opportunity to bat, he has demonstrated that his ability is no less than that of a top-order batter. The fact that he is a keeper is a skill that should go in his favor. It should not go against him. Jurel can definitely play as a specialist batter," Chopra told ESPN Cricinfo.
In his short Test career of six matches, Jurel has already scored 380 runs in nine innings, averaging an impressive 47.50 with one hundred and one half-century.
How did Dhruv Jurel perform in the Ahmedabad Test?
Coming in at No. 5, Jurel produced his best Test knock so far. He scored 125 from 210 balls, with 15 boundaries and three sixes.
Alongside Ravindra Jadeja, who remained unbeaten on 104, Jurel stitched together a massive 206-run stand for the fifth wicket, taking India to a dominant position.
India ended Day 2 on 448/5, leading by 286 runs. Earlier in the innings, KL Rahul also hit a fine hundred, while skipper Shubman Gill scored a solid 50.
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