New Delhi, India

Former Australia captain Tim Paine has backed India’s Dhruv Jurel to be a lethal weapon Down Under as the two nations are set to collide in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The nations will lock horns in what will be an important series for the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June 2025. According to Paine, Jurel has all the abilities to succeed Down Under as a batter even if he is just a backup wicketkeeper for Rohit Sharma’s side.

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Paine backs Jurel

“There’s a guy who has wicket-kept in a few Test matches for India. He averages 63 across the three Tests he’s played, and his name is Dhruv Jurel. Watching him bat, it was evident he has the temperament and skill for the longer format. Even though he’s primarily a wicketkeeper, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t feature in the series in some capacity,” Paine said while speaking to SEN Tassie.

Jurel has played in three Test matches for India and has shown glimpses of a fearless batter against big opposition. He made his debut against England earlier in the year in the red-ball format and has scored 190 runs in four innings across. While it is still early days, his approach could be the X-factor for the Indian team as they look to keep their faint WTC final hopes alive.

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On the other hand, Rishabh Pant should be the Indian team’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter, but it will be interesting to see whether Jurel gets a match as a pure batter if others struggle to find form.

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The Indian team has been victorious in the last two visits to Australia and also won the Boxing Day Test in 2020. Rohit Sharma’s men will look to repeat the heroics as they look to take a giant step towards the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s.

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Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India-Australia series) Schedule

1st Test: 22nd November to 26th November, Perth

2nd Test: 6th December to 10th December, Adelaide

3rd Test: 14th December to 18th December, Brisbane

4th Test: 26th December to 30th December, Melbourne

5th Test: 3rd January to 7th January, Sydney