India's Search for Wriddhiman Saha's Successor Leads to Dhruv Jurel's Emergence

Wriddhiman Saha was driven into obscurity more than two years ago, and the Indian team management hasn't yet settled on a worthy successor. Following his tragic tragedy, the Indian think-tank was left with few alternatives.

Ishan Kishan was never a lock for the lengthier format, and KS Bharat's attempts were fruitless. Kishan decided to take a break, and that's when the quest started.


Bharat's bottom order bat efforts were never well received by the team management. With the series now at 1-1, it was decided to give young rookie Dhruv Jurel a shot since they needed someone who could reliably hold up the tail.

On the quick and bouncey tracks in South Africa, the selectors tried KL Rahul as a stop gap option, but they were unable to take a chance on his wicketkeeping prowess on slow and low turners at home. Jurel, 23, was the ideal choice for them as they need a reliable set of hands to handle the wickets.

This wicketkeeper, who had survived the tough times, was batting and keeping rather well. In his sixteen first-class games for Uttar Pradesh, Jurel, who is vice captain of India in the U-19 World Cup 2020, has shown promise. He traveled with the India A squad to South Africa, where he also played.

Nem Singh, his father and a veteran of the Kargil conflict, desired for his son to become a doctor, but Dhruv was driven to become a cricket player. When the child enrolled at Parvendra Yadav's Springdale Academy in Agra, his fantasies began to come true.

His first performance in the Test will undoubtedly provide optimism. Along with his impressive 46 in Rajkot, he was praised for his wicketkeeping as well.

Even captain Rohit Sharma praised Jurel on Instagram for his second-inning run-out of Ben Duckett. In just one motion, he anticipated Mohammed Siraj's throw, caught it, and moved the stumps to leave the opening stranded in mid-pitch.

"Ye Aajkal ke bacche," said Rohit, praising Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, and Yashasvi Jaiswal for their efforts in the post.

When Pant returns to international cricket later this year, debate will revolve over Jurel's prospects of playing. However, since Pant will be returning off a protracted hiatus, his workload will need to be carefully regulated.

In situations like these, Jurel's opportunities will present themselves, and who knows—the competition could inspire him to go even better. He will undoubtedly be eager to realize his ambition.

Sad to forego Ranchi

The BCCI said late on Tuesday that Jasprit Bumrah, who was given time off as part of his workload management, would not play in the fourth Test in Ranchi. Due to his inability to recover his fitness, KL Rahul has also been ruled out of the fourth Test.

The team has added Mukesh Kumar. It is unclear whether Bumrah would be replaced by a pacer or a spinner by the team management.

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