Dhruv Jurel looks to have the best technique to bat at No. 3: Ex-Indian wicketkeeper

Former Indian keeper-batter Deep Dasgupta has reckoned that the Indian middle-order batter Dhruv Jurel could be an exceptional choice to bat at No.3 in the longest format of the game against South Africa.

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Speaking to The Times of India, the former keeper stated that Jurel has the best technique to take up the challenging No.3 slot. Interestingly, India is yet to get a stabilized batter at this slot since excluding Pujara from the national team.

However, Deep Dasgupta also felt that it would be a bit of concern to keep wickets and bat at No.3 in the red-ball format for a longer period of time. Moreover, he suggested Jurel could take up the No.7 slot in Nitish Kumar Reddy’s slot. 

“At this moment, Jurel looks to have the best technique to bat at No. 3. But the team management has to be clear with its vision because No. 3 will be a big call. If Jurel is only seen as a wicketkeeping backup for Pant, then it will be a problem in the long run. It’s tough for a wicketkeeper to consistently keep wickets and bat at No. 3 in Tests. Or else, he can come in for Reddy at No. 7, even though it’s very low for a proper batter to come in,” Deep Dasgupta told Times of India.

In the recently concluded second unofficial Test against South Africa A, Jurel went on to score twin centuries. In the first innings, he scored an unbeaten 132, and he went on to hit an unbeaten 127-run knock in the second innings.

Interestingly, India tried out Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair, and Sai Sudharsan for the No.3 slot since Pujara was excluded. However, Padikkal and Nair failed to live up to the expectations. Most recently in the West Indies Test series, Sudharsan looked decent enough at this position.

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