During the first day of India’s pre-match practice before the first Test match against Australia begins on Friday, teammate Sarfaraz Khan made a fielding error, leaving Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Dhruv Jurel in disarray. When Sarfaraz missed an easy catch while attempting to eat the ball with his palms out in front of his face, Jurel, Kohli, and Sarfaraz were standing next to each other, practicing catching.
A frenzy of laughter was sparked by the drop catch. Pant laughed so hard that he collapsed, and neither Jurel nor Kohli could remain composed. But when India plays Australia in Perth in two days, the threesome of Kohli, Pant, and Jurel will have to get down to work. Jurel is probably going to play his first Test match in Australia, based on what happened during the practice.
India’s Batting Lineup for Perth Test: Jurel’s Impact and Key Players
An intriguing conclusion is that the slip-catching drill that Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Jurel participated in suggests the top six players for India in the Perth Test. The inclusion of Jurel would entail Sarfaraz’s downfall. Naturally, Wednesday is the last practice session, which could provide more insight into India’s team lineups. There will be questions for the guy on the hot seat during India’s next press conference.
Jurel wowed everyone throughout his three Test matches for India, including one against England earlier this year. Jurel made an outstanding 46 in his lone innings in Rajkot. He then went on to score 90 and 39 not out in the following match at Ranchi. Jurel held one end and helped India out of trouble with a 77-run partnership in the first innings. Jurel and Kuldeep joined India at 177/7, and although the wrist-spinner deserves all the credit for his contribution to the partnership, it was mostly Jurel’s runs that allowed India to reach 300.
Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli Essential to India’s Batting
Pant makes a comeback to a show he loves. When India achieved a historic 2-1 comeback victory four years ago, Pant became one of their stars. After being out for more than a year owing to injuries he received in a vehicle accident, Pant made his Test comeback in September for the Bangladesh series and appears to be fully recovered.
The entire globe will be watching Kohli more than any other player. If India hopes to start the series with a victory, Kohli must perform under extreme pressure. Australians and their media are gushing about Kohli now that Rohit Sharma is not there. Kohli does not require an introduction to Australia. He has already dominated the charts with almost 1300 runs, including six hundreds, in 13 Test matches. Actually, none of India’s top players—aside from Rahul—have the expertise that Kohli does to lead his team through difficult times.
