Bengaluru: Instances of India fielding two specialist wicketkeepers in a Test match have been rare. To go back to recent times, Dinesh Karthik opened the innings during MS Dhoni’s reign. Even Wriddhiman Saha’s debut in 2010 came about accident following a freak injury to Rohit Sharma, who was also in line to make his debut, on the morning of the Nagpur Test against South Africa.
The common link between the aforementioned instances is more compulsion than any tactical manoeuvre.
Dhruv Jurel is set to break this “tradition” if one were to go by the Indian team’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate who said he would be “surprised” to see the Uttar Pradesh wicketkeeper-batter not featuring in the first of two Tests, along with first-choice Rishabh Pant, against South Africa, beginning here at Eden Gardens on Friday.
While the right-hander had ensured he remains the team’s first choice in the absence of Pant with consistent performances since his debut against England in 2024, his two centuries in the second four-day match against South Africa A in Bengaluru have forced the team management to play him as a specialist batter. Ten Doeschate confirmed as much to a pointed question in his address to the media, ahead of India’s practice session here on Wednesday.
“I don’t think you can leave him out for this Test,” said the former Dutch batter. “This is a short answer. Obviously you can only pick 11, so someone else will have to miss out. I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of the combination and given the way Jurel’s gone in the last six months and scoring two 100s in Bangalore last week, he’s certain to play this week.”
Jurel’s rise has been nothing short of remarkable. Since making his debut against England in 2024, the Uttar Pradesh cricketer has steadily built a case as one of India’s most reliable red-ball performers. His twin centuries in the recent four-day match against South Africa A in Bengaluru only reinforced that narrative.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old already boasts four centuries in his last five first-class matches, including his maiden Test hundred against West Indies in Ahmedabad. Add to that four half-centuries against Australia A and England Lions, including a gritty 94 in Canterbury, and you see why the selectors view him as more than just a backup wicketkeeper.
After seven Tests, scattered over four series (two home and as many away), Jurel has 430 runs at an impressive average of 47.77. While this is a small sample and the true class of a batter can only be judged by years of work, the Kargil hero’s son ranks among the best wicketkeeper-batters in the world. Only the greats like Kumar Sangakkara (57.40), Andy Flower (51.54) and AB de Villiers (50.66) are above him in terms of Test batting averages. This is not to suggest Jurel already belongs to that club, but the promise is hard to miss.
That he averages 58 after 30 first-class matches shows he has a solid footing in multi-day matches. Jurel’s ability to alloy white-ball flair with red-ball solidity, makes him an ideal option in the middle-order (No. 6) where he can either accelerate or anchor the innings depending upon the situation.
What has also been impressive about Jurel is his ability to perform under pressure. In his second Test against England in Ranchi, he walked in at 161/5 in reply to visitors’ 353 all out. It soon became 171/6 before Jurel came up with a 90 that helped India cut the deficit to 47. In the same Test, he again displayed his penchant to respond to pressure with an unbeaten 39 during a match-winning stand of 72 for the sixth wicket with Shubman Gill.
On the other hand, Sai Sudharsan hasn’t made great use of the opportunities he has been given while Devdutt Padikkal’s form still hasn’t compelled the team management to shake up the batting line-up.
“Again, like what I mentioned about Washi (Washington Sundar), Axar (Patel) and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja), for me you’ve actually got three batters there,” said ten Doeschate.
During Dhoni’s time, wicketkeepers often found themselves resigned to waiting behind the captain’s firm presence. Jurel, in contrast, has kicked down the door with sheer performance. Even with the formidable Pant back in the fold, he’s made himself impossible to ignore.
India may finally be ready to play two wicketkeepers; not out of some compulsion or from a strategic point of view, but because Jurel demands a place on merit.