India wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel remarked that there is "no competition" between him and Rishabh Pant, adding that both want to help the team in winning games ahead of the two-match Test series against South Africa. With both Jurel and Pant being wicketkeepers, the duo have rarely been named together in the playing XI. Pant has been the Men in Blue's No.1 choice for wicketkeeper and that is why Jurel has had to spend a lot of time on the bench.
“There is no competition between me and Rishabh bhai. Both of us are playing for India, and whoever plays, the motive is the same: to make India win. If he plays, I am happy. If I play, I am happy. If we play together, even better. The only focus is the team," Jurel was quoted as saying on JioStar.
Jurel did get his chance in the series against West Indies as Pant was still recovering from the toe fracture that he sustained in July. He made the most out of the opportunity and scored his maiden Test century in the first Test of the series. But, despite his fine performance, there is no guarantee as to if he will be in the playing XI for the first South Africa Test as Pant is set to make his long return to international cricket.
Jurel in stunning form
With both the wicketkeepers present in India's squad for the series, the team management can opt to play Jurel as a proper batter and hand the wicketkeeping duties to Pant. Not to mention that Jurel has been in blistering form in red-ball cricket as of recent. The 24-year-old scored twin tons for India A in the second unofficial Test against South Africa A. Though the Men in Blue failed to win the match, Jurel was easily the team's top performer.
Jurel's take on the South Africa challenge
He also shared his views on the challenges that the reigning World Test Championship (WTC) winners South Africa pose, highlighting how they have a strong fast-bowling attack that can go on to dominate during the series.
“It’s going to be a very exciting battle. Both teams have strong fast-bowling attacks. Whether it’s Rabada and Marco Jansen from their side, or Bumrah bhai from ours, there’s quality all around. At the end of the day, if you want to win a match, you have to step up against good teams. South Africa are World Test Champions, so it’s going to be a good challenge. I’m looking forward to it," Jurel stated.
India's squad for South Africa Tests: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.