Dhruv Jurel at No. 3? In the immediate future may not be

A century by Dhruv Jurel has opened a channel for discussions on India’s Test middle-order and the No. 3 position. Sai Sudharsan has not made the most of his opportunities there, and Sunil Gavaskar has said Jurel is not a bad idea for that spot. The legendary opener has said the wicketkeeper-batter has the game to handle pace and will not be a misfit at No. 3, although he has never been tried out in that role.

This topic comes up because Rishabh Pant will walk into the XI when fit, possibly in the next Test series against South Africa. He will displace Jurel, who was brilliant behind the stumps in the first Test against the West Indies. Gavaskar argued that the player who made a sparkling, maiden Test century in that game is worthy enough to be tried out as a specialist batter. In that context, the mentioned Sudharsan, who has made 140 runs in three Tests and six innings, with one half-century in England.

The left-hander from Tamil Nadu has excelled in the IPL, in white-ball cricket for his state and the three ODIs he has played. His numbers are impressive. The same can’t be said when it comes to the red-ball. In 34 first-class games, he averages 40.43. While this is not bad, most of the specialist batters picked for Tests of late have better numbers. Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar and Karun Nair are examples. However, Sudharsan is getting better and got runs for India A against Australia A recently. And one shouldn’t be written off after three Tests.

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