India wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel continued his impressive run of form, bringing up his second fifty on the trot on day three of the second unofficial Test between India A and Australia A in Melbourne.
In the first innings, Jurel came in to bat when India A were teetering at 11-4. His 80 off 186 balls ensured that the visitors reached a fighting total of 161. Prasidh Krishna’s 4-50 bowled out Australia for 223.
Batting in their second innings, India’s star-studded top-order suffered yet another collapse, their third in four innings. They lost half the side by the time they overcame the 62-run deficit. Jurel, in at No.6, came to India’s rescue again. He struck a 122-ball 68 in a 94-run stand with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who chipped in with 38. Jurel’s measured knock included five fours.
India’s tail wagged, with all-rounder Tanush Kotian scoring a vital 44 and Prasidh Krishna chipping in with 29 to help India A cross the 200-run mark. They were eventually bowled out for 229, setting a 168-run target for the home side.
With his destructive knock against South Africa in Durban, Sanju Samson became only the fourth player to score a century in consecutive men's T20Is 🔥
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) November 8, 2024
Who are the other three? ➡️ https://t.co/ybgiGOjBtq#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/gMSzKsAihs
Jurel’s back-to-back fifty brings him in contention for a spot in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Uncapped Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is in line for a Test debut in case captain Rohit Sharma misses the first match, failed to impress in the four outings during the unofficial Tests. KL Rahul, whom India backed at No.6 as recently as the New Zealand series, couldn’t impress either after being promoted to the open in this match.
The failure of those two could prompt India to add someone in form like Jurel to their XI when they take on Australia in the Perth Test from November 22. If Rahul opens in the curtain-raiser, Jurel could compete for a spot at No.6 with Sarfaraz Khan, who has had a start-stop career so far.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
