Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels young wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel would have scored in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy if he had played all the Tests of the series.
While Chopra praised Dhruv Jurel, he surprisingly picked Riyan Parag as India’s future in Test cricket. Parag is yet to make his Test debut despite playing ODIs and T20Is.
Also read: BCCI turns to Sitansh Kotak to save Indian cricket after Gautam Gambhir & Co’s disastrous run.
Aakash Chopra reserves high praise for Dhruv Jurel
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra hailed Dhruv Jurel and asserted that he can also play as a specialist batsman. Chopra recalled how Jurel scored runs for India A in an unofficial Test before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy when other batsmen were struggling for runs.
“What about Dhruv Jurel? They have already started investing in Dhruv Jurel. He is a quality player and can actually play as a batsman. He is only 23 years old. When everyone was fighting for India A, how well he batted. It is not easy to bat like that on Australian grounds,” Chopra pointed out.
The former India opener is confident that Jurel would have scored big had he played all the matches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He also compared Jurel’s fighting spirit to that of Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was very impressive in the Test series in Australia.
“I am absolutely confident that he would have scored if he had played all the Tests, in case he played after Perth. He has the fight you see in Nitish Kumar Reddy. It is not tangible, but Dhruv Jurel has something. He has that thing,” he added.
Dhruv Jurel’s Short Test Career
Dhruv Jurel played four Tests and scored 202 runs at an average of 40.40. He made his debut against England in the home Test series in early 2024. Jurel became man of the match in just his second Test as he helped India win the series.
However, he was benched after India opted to play Rishabh Pant when he became available. Jurel also appeared in the first test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but as a specialist batsman. However, he failed to register a significant result in the match.
Aakash Chopra picks Riyan Parag as India’s future in Tests
While speaking further on his channel, Aakash Chopra picked a surprising name in the form of Riyan Parag to perform well for India in Test cricket. Chopra reminded viewers of Parag’s excellent numbers in first-class cricket and backed him to score for India.
“Let me throw out just one name and I’d like you to tell me if it’s right or wrong. Should I even think about it? His name is Riyan Parag. An interesting name. A completely unusual name,” Chopra observed.
“He’s doing well for Assam, but when he’s doing well for Assam, especially in four-day cricket, you have to take it with a grain of salt because he’s going to score runs where Assam plays cricket and the big role he plays in that team,” added the former batsman of India.
Riyan Parag has a fantastic first-class record while playing for Assam in the last few years. In all, he scored 1991 runs in 32 first-class matches with 3 hundreds and 12 fifties. He also picked up 51 wickets with his off-spin bowling.
