Dhruv Jurel filled has been filling in for Rishabh Pant ever since the latter got injured in the four Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test in England.
The young wicket keeper-batsman has performed quite well in the role so far, even having scored a century against West Indies. However, Pant is fit again and has been appointed vice captain for India’s upcoming Test series against South Africa.
This would have prompted many to believe that Jurel should be on his way out of the playing XI, however, that might not be the case. In fact, he could be in the side alongside the New Delhi southpaw, replacing all-rounder Nitish Reddy.
Nitish Reddy To Make Way For Dhruv Jurel?
According to a report by PTI, a source (unnamed) from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed that Dhruv Jurel could play in the India vs South Africa Test series as a specialist batsman.
“Jurel is likely to play as a specialist batter. Ideally, there are two slots where he could be fitted in. One was Sai Sudharsan at No. 3 but he has a half-century in his last Test and the team management wants a settled No. 3,“
According to this source, Nitish Reddy could make way for Jurel in the playing XI as his bowling services would not be required much in Indian conditions.
“The other place is Nitish Kumar Reddy and he can’t be played ahead of Jurel considering that his bowling won’t be required much in these Indian conditions,“
Nitish Reddy debuted for India in Tests in Australia, and was quite impressive both with the bat and ball. However, his performance has only been decent of late.
In the West Indies Tests, Reddy only got to bat once, scoring 43 off 54 and rarely bowled.
Jurel, on the other hand, scored a ton in Ahmedabad, and more recently, scored back-to-back 100s for India A againt South Africa A, making a strong case for his inclusion in the main series’ playing XI.
Having said that, the final playing XI should only be revealed after the toss on the first day of the match, which is November 14, 2025.
