All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy might have to make room in the starting lineup for the first Test match against South Africa in order to make room for the in-form Dhruv Jurel, according to Indian team assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. In the most recent second unofficial Test between South Africa A and India A, Jurel scored twin hundreds, demonstrating his exceptional form.
With star wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant making his injury comeback, India faces a selection dilemma before the home series. Although Rishabh Pant is anticipated to immediately return to the starting lineup, his arrival calls into question the roles of other middle-order players. During Rishabh Pant absence, Jurel and Reddy both played in India’s two-match home Test series against the West Indies. Ten Doeschate admitted that Reddy is unlikely to keep his place in the starting lineup given the team composition.
“We still hold the same stance on Nitish Kumar Reddy.
In Australia, he had no chance. However, given the difficulty, I believe he will not be included in the starting lineup this week,” Ten Doeschate stated during a news conference prior to the game, as reported by RevSportz.
It’s crucial to strike a balance between the depth of the batting and the speciality bowlers. For the sake of bringing in an all-rounder, we don’t want to sacrifice someone,” he continued.
Although India’s wicketkeeping position is already assured with Rishabh Pant return, the assistant coach stressed that Jurel’s current form warrants his inclusion in the starting XI. The only time the two had played together for India was when Jurel made his debut while Pant was recovering from a serious injury. After the senior keeper fully recovered, Jurel quickly returned to his backup position.
“Jurel is someone you can’t really leave out of this test, in my opinion. Someone must be left out. That’s an easy response. He will undoubtedly play this week. Ten Doeschate remarked, “I’ll be shocked if we don’t see Dhruv and Rishabh play together.”
Pant and Jurel have only ever appeared together in an Indian playing XI once, at the beginning of the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar series in Perth. Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the opening Test match between South Africa and India on Friday, November 14.
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