Former cricketer Dinesh Karthik has expressed optimism about the current pool of wicketkeepers and feels that the plethora of players to pick from is a sign of a “healthy” Indian cricket team. In a talented pool of players, India boasts young and experienced wicketkeepers featuring Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, and currently out of favour Ishan Kishan. The stiff and healthy competition has allowed India to experiment with their combination and nurture players. Karthik looks at the strong base as a healthy sign for Indian cricket.
“It is always good competition, and that is good for Indian cricket. We have a good, strong base to work with plenty of players, and that is a good sign of a healthy cricket team,” Karthik, who is leading the Southern Super Stars, in Legends League Cricket (LLC) told ANI.
Jurel and Pant are a part of India’s squad for the ongoing Test series against Bangladesh. Pant’s return to the India Test set-up for the first time since his life-threatening accident in December 2022 has made Jurel work hard to earn a spot in the playing XI.
Pant marked his return with a sensational performance during the opening Test in Chennai. He played a stupendous 109-run knock in the second innings.
While Kishan and Samson scored a century each in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy, showcasing their hunger to return to the Indian set-up.
Karthik has started a new phase in his career after writing the final chapter of his impressive career in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 39-year-old, who has been a part of the cash-rich league since its inception, played his final season as a player earlier this year.
Featuring as one of the most experienced players for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Karthik garnered 326 runs in 15 matches in the 2024 season at a strike rate of 187.36.
After the conclusion of the tournament, Karthik was appointed as the franchise’s new batting coach and team mentor. He is also set to become the first Indian player to play in the SA 20 League after Paarl Royals acquired his services for the third season.
Karthik is enjoying the new phase of his life and said, “It has been good. God has been kind to me, so I am enjoying whatever I am doing right now.”
Currently, Karthik is showing his flamboyant batting style in the ongoing Legends League Cricket (LLC). He is among some of the top players to feature in the tournament.
Karthik is thrilled to see the competitiveness in the league and said, “It is very nice. It is good to see players playing competitively, which is always nice; it is such a competitive atmosphere, and that is great to see.”
The 39-year-old represented the country in 180 games across three formats in which he scored 3463 runs with a lone Test hundred and 17 half-centuries.
Karthik also had 172 dismissals to his credit, most of them behind the stumps and a few in the outfield. Karthik finished his IPL career with 4,842 runs in 257 matches (joint second-most with Rohit Sharma), studded with 22 fifties.
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Middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel and pacer Yash Dayal will be be released from the Indian team for the Irani Cup if they are not selected in the playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh, starting September 27 in Kanpur. The BCCI on Tuesday announced the Rest of India squad, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, which will take on reigning Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in Lucknow from October 1-5. “Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal have been selected in the Rest of India squad and their participation is subject to them not being involved in the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur,” said the BCCI statement on Tuesday.
Sources said that in case wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant suffers any niggle during the Test, KL Rahul can fill up for him.
As reported by PTI on Monday, prolific run-getter Sarfaraz, who represents Mumbai domestically, too will play for his home side led by Ajinkya Rahane, if he does not figure in the playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh.
“Sarfaraz Khan who has been retained in the Team India squad for the 2nd Test, will be released to represent the Mumbai team subject to him not being involved in the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur,” added the BCCI statement.
The Irani Cup match will also mark Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur’s return to first-class cricket post surgery.
All top players including Shreyas Iyer, Musheer Khan, Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian are expected to play for Mumbai.
Mumbai stalwart Suryakumar Yadav, who is India’s T20 skipper, and all-rounder Shivam Dube, both of whom are automatic picks in the Indian T20 squad, won’t be playing the Irani Cup as they would have to report in Gwalior on October 3 for the series starting October 6.
The Rest of India squad also has Ishan Kishan, who was not given a central contract last season for ignoring the BCCI’s directive to play domestic cricket.
Kishan recently scored a hundred in Duleep Trophy and has shown his keenness to play domestic cricket. In case Jurel plays for Rest of India, there remains a possibility that Kishan could be second wicketkeeper after Sanju Samson for the Bangladesh T20s.
The Rest of India squad doesn’t comprise Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh because they will be picked for the T20Is just like Surya (India captain) and Dube (Mumbai).
Rest of India squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran (v-c), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk)*, Ishan Kishan (wk), Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal*, Ricky Bhui, Shashwat Rawat, Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Chahar.
Mumbai: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Prithvi Shaw, Ayush Mhatre, Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan*, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhesh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Hardik Tamore (wk), Sidhaant Addhatrao (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Mohammad Juned Khan, Royston Dias.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Tuesday that Sarfaraz Khan will be released to play for Mumbai in the Irani Cup 2024 if he is not included in the playing XI for the second Test match against Bangladesh starting Friday. There have been a lot of conversation regarding Sarfaraz’s future after he was not involved in the first Test match and BCCI have now provided a concrete answer. “Sarfaraz Khan who has been retained in the Team India squad for the 2nd Test, will be released to represent the Mumbai team subject to him not being involved in the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur,” the BCCI release said.
Yash Dayal and Dhruv Jurel were also included in the Rest Of India squad but their participation will also depend on whether they play against Bangladesh.
“Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal have been selected in the Rest of India squad and their participation is subject to them not being involved in the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur. The 2nd Test will begin from 27th September,” the media release further stated.
Ajinkya Rahane is all set to lead Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the upcoming Irani Cup game against Rest of India in Lucknow, which will also mark all-rounder Shardul Thakur‘s return to first-class cricket post surgery.
It is understood that all top players including Shreyas Iyer, Musheer Khan, Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian are supposed to play the match.
According to PTI, Suryakumar Yadav, who is India’s T20 skipper, and all-rounder Shivam Dube, both of whom are automatic picks in the Indian T20 squad, won’t be playing the Irani Cup as they would have to report in Gwalior on October 3 for the T20I series starting October 6
Rest of India squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (WK)*, Ishan Kishan (WK), Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal*, Ricky Bhui, Shashwat Rawat, Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Chahar
(With PTI inputs)
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Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel lauded pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for his “adaptability” and versatility to be able to play well on every track. Bumrah is in action during the ongoing Test series against Bangladesh, with the first Test starting at Chennai’s MA Chidambram Stadium today. Speaking on JioCinema, Jurel said about Bumrah, “His adaptability across all tracks is not easy to maintain. Sometimes it is a long spell, other times it is a quick two-over spell where the captain needs a wicket,” said Jurel. “Injuries are common for pacers like him, but he always delivers by taking wickets. That’s what makes him special,” he added.
Jurel said that a lot of bowlers prefer conditions that suit their style, but it does not apply to Bumrah.
“He can brilliantly adapt to any track, whether it is a seaming pitch or one that favours spinners,” he added.
The wicketkeeper-batter also reflected on the scorching yorker that Bumrah delivered to England’s Ollie Pope during the Test series against England, which deceived the batter and uprooted two of his stumps, saying, “I would not have done any better than Pope. I probably would have reacted the same way.”
In 37 Tests, Bumrah has taken 159 wickets at an average of 20.69, with the best bowling figures of 6/27. In nine home Tests, Bumrah has taken 33 wickets at an average of 16.36, with the best figures of 6/45.
Coming to the match, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl first. The top-order collapsed and India was left at 34/3. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (56 in 118 balls, with nine fours) and Rishabh Pant (39 in 52 balls, with six fours) stitched a 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket, bringing India into the game. After India was reduced to 144/6, Ashwin and Jadeja (86* in 117 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes) stitched a 195-run partnership, ending the day at 339/6.
Hasan Mahmud (4/58) was the top bowler for Bangladesh, destroying the Indian top order, removing skipper Rohit Sharma (6), Shubman Gill (0) and Virat Kohli (6).
Teams:
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.
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Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and the team management will have to keep some of the young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel wrapped in cotton wool after experiencing some early success in top-flight cricket. However, Rohit said these players have a mature head on their young shoulders. “Honestly, we don’t need to speak too much to them. Jaiswal, Jurel, Sarfaraz, all of them… we saw glimpses of what they can do. So, they have everything that is required to be a top player for India in all three forms.
“Obviously we have to nurture them and we have to keep talking to them. But at the end of the day, you know, when you’re playing a sport like this, it all depends on what you think in your mind.
“I think they’re very clear with what they want to do. They’re very hungry to play cricket for India and be successful,” he elaborated.
Rohit said the fearless yet responsible approach of these players have made the team management’s task of handling them a lot easier.
“Jaiswal had a great series (against England at home. Jurel showed what he is capable of with the bat. Getting those runs and in tough situations was good…you know, being fearless and not worrying too much about what happens outside.
“So, you need all kinds of players these days. It’s not about just having one sort of player. You need all sorts of players who are fearless, and who are cautious at the same time. You know, responsible as well. I think we have that mix of everything, which is a good sign,” he explained.
In fact, the series against Bangladesh will be India’s first outing in the traditional format after the home rubber against England earlier this year, in which they won 4-1.
Rohit admitted that returning to red-ball cricket after a lengthy hiatus was not easy but pinned his confidence on the preparatory camp the team had here ahead of the rubber against Bangladesh.
“It’s not easy when you don’t play (red-ball cricket) for a period of 6-8 months. But, see, the good thing is that a lot of guys in the squad are quite experienced. It (long gap) has happened previously as well, which is why it was important for us to have this little camp over here in Chennai,” he said.
The 37-year-old said the Duleep Trophy ahead of this series was a blessing for some of the players like Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan, who have not played much cricket in the last few months.
“We assembled here on the 12th and we’ve had a good time spending hours on the field, getting everything together. Yeah, it is tough, but see, now people can manage themselves pretty well.
“The guys who have not played a lot of Tests went on to play the Duleep Trophy, which was good. So, in terms of preparation, in terms of readiness, I feel, you know, we are quite ready for this game and what lies ahead of us,” he signed off.
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Team India youngster Dhruv Jurel has recalled the incident when England star batter Joe Root sledged him during the Ranchi Test earlier this year. Jurel made his Test debut for India during the five match series against England earlier this year. On his debut in the Rajkot Test, Jurel got out on 46 but was hailed by India captain Rohit Sharma for his temprament. In the third Test in Ranchi, Jurel walked in to bat with India in a delicate position at 161/5, following a top-order collapse.
However, Jurel hit a cautious 30 not out and helped India reach 219/7 at stumps, with Kuldeep Yadav batting along with him.
Recalling the match, Jurel revealed that he couldn’t sleep all night, having missed out on his maiden half-century in the last match.
“I could not sleep that night. I was not out on 30. I was making plans for the next day, thinking whether I should try to get the half-century with the old ball, because a few overs were still left, or against the new ball. But eventually I managed to get around 36 before they took the new ball and Anderson returned,” Jurel told Jatin Sapru on his YouTube channel.
Jurel further added that he faced James Anderson first up the next morning, who started sledging him straightaway. He also recalled how Root, his former teammate at Rajasthan Royals, was also playing mindgames with him.
“He was all aggressive by then and was continuously sledging. Given the British accent, I did not understand half of those words. Even Bairstow and Joe Root joined. I was shocked because Root used to play with me in IPL, and I asked him, ‘Why are you sledging me?’ He replied: ‘We are all playing for our country now’,” he added.
As far as Jurel is concerned, he went on to score 90 runs in the first innings, followed by another crucial cameo of 39 not out in the second.
Chasing 192 to win, India beat England by five wickets with Jurel getting the man of the match award.
Meanwhile, Jurel has been named in India’s 16-man squad for the upcoming 1st Test against Bangladesh.
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India’s squad for the 1st Test against Bangladesh, starting September 19, was announced last week with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant making their much-awaited returns to the side. While Rahul played for India during the first two Test against England on home soil, Pant’s last series in the whites for India, co-incidentally, was against Bangladesh in December 2022 before an unfortunate car accident accident sidlined him. With several senior players sidelined due to various reasons, Sarfaraz Khan made his much-awaited India debut against England and was an instant hit.
The Mumbai batter scored 200 runs across five innings including three half-centuries while averaging 50 and scoring at a strike-rate of 79.36.
However, former India batter Krishnamachari Srikkanth feels Sarfaraz will have to give his place back to KL Rahul.
While offering his sympathy to Sarfaraz, Srikkanth pointed out that Rahul was injured and actually didn’t lose his place. He also added that wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel will also lose his place to the fit again Pant.
“Honestly, I feel bad for Sarfaraz Khan, even if you play well, sometimes some big player comes in after an injury, you lose your place – see Rishabh Pant comes in and Jurel has to go out. KL Rahul, at the end of the day, in the back of the mind you should keep the Australia series in mind, New Zealand series is next – so KL Rahul is the man – KL Rahul Rolls Royce has done very well in Australia,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel ‘Cheeky Cheeka’.
Having said that, Sarfaraz will feature in the second round of the Duleep Trophy, despite being named in India squad.
The BCCI, in a release ahead of the second round of Duleep Trophy matches, said: “India B’s Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant have been named in India’s squad and the selectors have named Suyash Prabhudessai and Rinku Singh as replacements respectively. Fast bowler Yash Dayal has received his maiden national call-up while Sarfaraz Khan, who too has been named in India’s squad, will feature in the second-round game.”
Sarfaraz’s selection for the Duleep Trophy game means KL Rahul is likely to be named in India’s XI. The two were seen as direct competitors for a spot in the middle-order.
(With PTI Inputs)
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Wicket-keeper batsman Dhruv Jurel proved that he is one for the future, as he made a superb run-out during India’s second T20I against Zimbabwe. What made it even more special was that Jurel’s genius run-out happened on the birthday of perhaps India’s greatest ever wicket-keeper batsman, MS Dhoni. After a shocking loss to Zimbabwe in the first of five T20Is, a youthful India side needed to bounce back. And so they did, with moments like Jurel’s run-out played a crucial part.
After Abhishek Sharma‘s swashbuckling ton guided India to a mammoth 234 in 20 overs, the Zimbabwe run chase never got going. With the opposition stuck at 76/6, Jurel grabbed his moment to shine on the first ball of the 12th over.
Watch: Dhruv Jurel’s sensational run-out
Only hits no misses for @dhruvjurel21 #SonySportsNetwork #ZIMvIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/3XxkMT6W5B
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 7, 2024
Zimbabwe batsman Wellington Masakadza played it to the leg side and hoped to sneak a quick single. Not under Jurel’s watch, though. The 23-year-old ran to fetch the ball, turned around and threw it all the way to the non-striker’s wicket. He hit bullseye, and Masakadza was well short.
It is a run-out that MS Dhoni would’ve certainly been proud of. The former India captain turned 43 on July 7, and celebrated his birthday in the company of Bollywood icon Salman Khan.
After the game, Jurel took to X to wish Dhoni on his birthday.
Happy birthday, Mahi bhai. Thank you for inspiring millions around the world (including me) to take up the sport pic.twitter.com/oAAY2qSMqe
— Dhruv Jurel (@dhruvjurel21) July 7, 2024
Jurel, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, is making his first T20I appearances in the tour to Zimbabwe. After the 2024 T20 World Cup win – and the retirement of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from T20Is – Shubman Gill is leading a young Team India..
Earlier this year, Jurel had made his mark in red-ball cricket, playing the final three Tests in England’s tour of India. He impressed, winning the Player of the Match award as India won the fourth Test of the series.
Although Rishabh Pant is the undisputed first-choice wicket-keeper batsman for India, performances like these could help Jurel establish himself as a regular in blue.
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Young India wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel has revealed that he was cheering for South Africa during the side’s 2024 T20 World Cup final against India in Barbados. In the summit clash, India won by seven runs, snatching an unbelievable victory from the jaws of defeat. At one stage, South Africa needed just 30 runs from 30 balls but India managed to turn the tide in their favour. Now, Jurel has confessed that while he was supporting India, South Africa were playing well. So, playing on the jinx, he switched to supporting South Africa so that India could make a comeback in the game. And sure enough, India did bounce back.
“When I was watching the final and cheering for India, South Africa came in the winning position, so I started cheering for South Africa and India made a comeback. I kept cheering for South Africa and India won the World Cup,” Jurel told BCCI.
Where were they?
What were they doing
How much #TeamIndia‘s #T20WorldCup 2024 triumph means to them?
Indian Cricket Team in Zimbabwe is like the All Of Us! #Champions
WATCH – By @ameyatilak pic.twitter.com/J2VDtNwSPk
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 5, 2024
Jurel is part of the India squad that is touring Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series, starting from July 6, and is expected to make his India debut in the shortest format. Jurel made his Test debut for India against England in February this year.
Talking about the India vs South Africa 2024 T20 World Cup final, an excellent final five overs bowled by Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh clawed the Rohit Sharma-led side back into the game, as the dangerous duo of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller were dismissed
Team India celebrated its T20 World Cup title in incredible fashion, as it conducted an open-top bus parade on the streets of Mumbai, starting from the Marine Drive to the Wankhede stadium.
35,000 spectators packed the Wankhede stadium while lakhs were on the streets to celebrate the T20 World Cup victory with the team. The parade was a repeat of what happened in 2007, when an MS Dhoni-led young India side won the inaugural T20 World Cup. After the tournament, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T20Is.
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Tom Moody slammed Sanju Samson over his “tactical blunder” against SRH.© BCCI
Former Australia batter Tom Moody has slammed Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson over his “tactical blunder” in the IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 clash against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday. RR crashed out of IPL 2024 after a 36-run defeat at the hands of SRH, who will now face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final on Sunday. Chasing 176, RR could only reach 139/7 in 20 overs after Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma sparked a mid-innings collapse. The pair shared five wickets between them to help SRH reach the final for the first time in six years.
While keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel scored a half-century for RR in the chase, Moody pointed out that Samson made a “tactical blunder” by not sending Shimron Hetmyer ahead of the youngster.
“We shouldn’t be surprised because that is the trend. We shouldn’t be surprised and every single time we sit here and say that we are surprised. To me it was an absolute no-brainer. Hetmyer had to go in ahead of Dhruv Jurel, regardless of whether he played very nicely. He would have still played nice when he got his opportunity. But they needed to negate the two left-arm spinners, right at the outset. That was the hole, Sunrisers had in their attack and they needed to negate that. They should have sent Hetmyer in and said just play your game. Take it down in your zone, let’s get ahead in this game, do not allow these left-arm spinners to take control of the game. Yes, people will see we end up getting out to left-arm spin, but the game was nearly gone by then and that was a particularly good ball, a carrom ball as we mentioned. If we got ahead in the game, that would not have ever happened. It is a tactical blunder,” Moody said on ESPNcricinfo.
During a separate discussion, former India batter Virender Sehwag also slammed Samson for not sending Hetmyer ahead of Jurel, saying that the West Indies southpaw would’ve negated the left-arm spin factor against Shahbaz and Abhishek.
“I was surprised by their decision to bring in Hetmyer so late. They should have bought him earlier, because there were two left-arm spinners. The quicker a left-arm batters comes, it would have been better,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
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