Not Sarfaraz Khan! 23-Year-Old Indian Star Likely to Make Debut In 3rd Test Against England - Reports

dhruv jurel likely to make test debut for india in rajkot during 3rd test against england – reports

Young Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who earned his maiden India call-up for the ongoing five-match Test series against England, is likely to make his Test debut during the third Test, which is scheduled to take place at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. According to a report in the Times of India, the 23-year-old cricketer will replace KS Bharat in India’s playing XI. The 30-year-old Bharat, who has played in all six Tests in India since Rishabh Pant’s unfortunate road accident in December 2022, failed to fire in the first two matches.

As per the information, the decision-makers in Indian cricket may have run out of patience with Bharat.

“Bharat’s batting has been well below par, while his ‘keeping hasn’t been great either. He isn’t making use of his chances. Jurel, on the other hand, is talented, has a good attitude, and has a bright future. He has done well for Uttar Pradesh, India A, and the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Don’t be surprised if Jurel makes his Test debut at Rajkot,” a source told TOI.

Since making his Test debut for India on February 9, 2023, against Australia in Nagpur, Bharat has only managed to score 221 runs in seven Tests. As far as Jurel is concerned, the Rajasthan Royals star has 790 runs to his name in 15 first-class matches played so far.

Bumrah to rest in Ranchi

Star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who became the world No. 1 Test bowler on Wednesday (February 7) after taking a total of nine wickets in the second Test against England in Vizag, is all set to play in Rajkot but could be rested during the fourth Test in Ranchi as part of workload management.

“He could be rested for the fourth Test in Ranchi, which means that he will be fresh and firing for the fifth and final Test in Dharamshala in early March, which could well be the decider of this closely contested series. That’s the point where Bumrah’s presence will make a difference,” the source said.

The source also explained the reason behind the selector’s decision to leave Avesh Khan out of India’s squad for the last three Tests against England. According to him, Avesh was released to get some game time in the Ranji Trophy.

“The idea is to give him game time, which is why he has been asked to go and play for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. He hasn’t played in February so far. Akash Deep (his replacement) was picked because he did well for India A,” the source informed. “In any case, the two pacers for India at Rajkot will be Bumrah and Siraj,” he said.