Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel says that India may face a small difficulty in deciding between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Dhruv Jurel for the No. 6 berth in the opening Test against South Africa. The series-opening battle of the all-format assignment is set to begin on November 14.
Parthiv shortlisted Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul as openers, followed by Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and the returning Rishabh Pant. Barring the No. 6 berth, he named three spinners and two pacers to the XI.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul will open. Sai Sudharsan will be at No. 3, Shubman Gill at No. 4, and then you will see Rishabh Pant playing at No. 5. The No. 6 position is slightly tricky. Otherwise, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah,” stated Parthiv in a discussion with Star Sports.
Dhruv Jurel deserves a chance, says Parthiv Patel
Parthiv felt Nitish Kumar Reddy could be played due to the bowling-friendly conditions which might be on offer at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, the erstwhile wicketkeeper-batter defended Jurel’s performances in the past and felt that he deserved to play in the squad if the Shubman Gill-led side wants to play an extra batter instead of an all-rounder.
“There will be only one question for India, and that will be at No. 6, whether you want to play Nitish Reddy or Dhruv Jurel. It will be an early start in Kolkata. Can Nitish Reddy play the role of the third seamer? Then you can use Nitish Reddy with two seamers and three spinners will come in the second innings,” Parthiv opined.
“Whether it was against West Indies or wherever and whichever position Jurel has gotten to bat in, he has scored runs. If your combination is that you want to play an all-rounder, then he might not get a place. However, if you want to play a pure batter, Jurel can play there, and this management has already shown that kind of confidence in him once. I feel Jurel has done enough to be considered as a batter in the Test team,” he concluded.
Jurel is currently involved in the Test series between India A and South Africa A. He has struck centuries in both innings to set up a solid chance for him getting the nod ahead of Nitish. Pant will be anticipated to be the wicketkeeper for India’s upcoming series, while also being the vice-captain of the red-ball side.
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