Sixteen balls into the first morning, India A were in tatters at 11-4 at the MCG when Jurel stepped out to bat. Michael Neser (4-27) looked unplayable after a seven-ball burst of three wickets.

But Jurel settled down, added 53 with Devdutt Padikkal (26) and 39 with Nitish Kumar Reddy (16) to save India A the ignominy of a two-digit score. He continued, adding 36 with Prasidh Krishna (14) before being ninth out for 80 – almost half of India A’s 161.

Jurel was part of the Indian Test squad that was swept 0-3 by New Zealand at home. Despite the defeats, his outings were restricted to taking over the big gloves when Rishabh Pant was injured in the first Test. Ahead of the upcoming Test series, the selectors flew him and KL Rahul out to play the second unofficial “Test” against Australia A.

Read: How Dhruv Jurel rose through the ranks to earn an India Test cap

There is little doubt over Pant’s status as the default Test wicketkeeper, let alone for India but even for a contemporary World XI. However, can Jurel make it to the India Test XI for the first Test in Perth as a specialist batter?

A case for Jurel

A horrific accident in end-2022 kept Pant out of professional cricket until the 2024 IPL. He did return to competitive cricket, proved his fitness in long-form cricket in the Duleep Trophy, and made a comeback to Test cricket during the Bangladesh series in September.

In the interim period, India backed KS Bharat before moving on to Ishan Kishan. They made Rahul keep wicket for the first time in Test cricket, switched back to Bharat, before finally giving Jurel a Test cap.

While largely faultless with the big gloves, it was his performances in front of the wicket that grabbed the eye. At Ranchi, especially, he lifted India from 177-7 to 307, then emerged at 120-5 and saw the side to a five-wicket win in only his second match. Three Tests into his career – all in the England series at home – he has 190 runs at 63.33.

As Pant returned, the only slot for Jurel was as at No.6, but there were already two contenders for that. Rahul, the incumbent, had made an exceptional hundred at Centurion in 2023-24, while Sarfaraz Khan, having debuted in the same England series, was a ready backup.

Rahul neither impressed nor failed against Bangladesh. When Shubman Gill missed the first Test against New Zealand, Sarfaraz batted out of position and made 150. When Gill returned, Rahul lost his place – but Sarfaraz has not done much since.

There is little doubt that Jurel can play as a specialist bat, but until now the selectors have shown little indication of preferring him above Rahul or Sarfaraz. Despite his Test performances, he has so far not seemed to be in contention.

However, Rohit Sharma is set to miss at least one of the five Tests in Australia. Going by reports, it may well be the first Test. That will open up another slot in the XI, but at the top.

At this point, it is not clear who will fill in for Rohit if he misses the first Test. Abhimanyu Easwaran, the other opener in the squad, may open with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Easwaran is uncapped, but that should not deter the selectors. Gill and Mayank Agarwal had opened batting on debut on India’s last two tours of Australia.

However, India A did indicate at trying out an alternative when they sent Rahul, a man with a Test hundred while opening batting in Australia, to open with Easwaran for India A. In a potential shootout, Easwaran made a duck and Rahul four. The second innings awaits, as does a camp that will feature both men.

If India get Rahul to open with Jaiswal in the Perth Test, that will reduce the three-way tussle for the No.6 to a contest between Sarfaraz and Jurel. Sarfaraz has had a stop-start career so far, with a 150, three other fifties (including an unbeaten one), and seven scores below 15. Jurel has failed less frequently.

Sarfaraz averages 37.40 after six Tests. However, in their last three series, the Indian batters averaged 38.55 against England, 38.69 against Bangladesh, and 20.61 against New Zealand. Sarfaraz averaged 50 against England but 28.50 against New Zealand. Jurel did not feature in the latter, which slightly complicates the comparison.

Sarfaraz has never played first-class cricket in Australia, but from four games in South Africa, he has 187 runs at an average of 62.33. Jurel’s two innings in South Africa have yielded 69 runs, but he has now impressed on first-class debut in Australia.

It will be a difficult choice, but there is little doubt that Jurel the specialist batter will have a sniff. Moreover, Pant’s knee was tested in the Bengaluru Test. If India want to reduce his workload, Pant may play as a specialist batter and Jurel can fulfill dual duties.

Have India played a keeper as a specialist bat before?

Even if one ignores the 1960s, when Budhi Kunderan played as an opening bat and Farokh Engineer kept wicket, there are examples from the 21st century. In the second half the noughties, Dinesh Karthik secured a place as Wasim Jaffer’s opening partner while captain MS Dhoni continued to keep wicket. Wriddhiman Saha’s debut as a specialist batter, however, was a one-off.

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