Not Jaiswal Or Gill! India Coach Name-Drops This Batter For 'Impressing' Vs WI

India men’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate name-dropped Dhruv Jurel as one of the biggest positives from the ongoing two-Test series against the West Indies. He praised Jurel for being obedient to the team’s needs instead of chasing personal milestones, calling him an example of the coaching staff’s ideal ‘culture’.

Jurel played this series only because the first-choice wicketkeeper, Rishabh Pant, was still recovering from a fractured toe. He hit an excellent 125 in the first match in Ahmedabad and followed it up with a 79-ball 44 in Delhi, where he got out trying to hit spinner Roston Chase for a big shot to up the team’s ante.

“I think the first name that springs into mind is Dhruv,” ten Doeschate said at the end of the third day’s play

in the capital, as quoted by PTI. “We always knew that he’s a quality player. Obviously, the 100 in the first Test and also the way he went about it yesterday. You know, no qualms about trying to push on. He could have got a not out there. He was on 44. The message went out. We’re going to try to clear it pretty soon. And it takes him on and gets out straight away. So, in terms of the culture, how we want guys to play, you know, playing for the team first, we’ve been very impressed with what we’ve seen from him.”

The coach also reserved some praise for all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is playing his first Test series in India, and captain Shubman Gill. Reddy didn’t get a chance to contribute much in Ahmedabad, but scored a good 43 (54) in the first innings in the second Test.

“Nitish Kumar Reddy getting a little bit of (batting) time in the middle was also important. I think Shubman’s captaincy is coming on nicely as well. It’s very important for a young captain. It was a very tough trip to England, where he excelled. I think he’s built on that just in the 10 days he spent together.”

Asked to follow-on, West Indies ended the day at 173/2, still 97 runs behind but posing a good challenge for the home side.