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Ahead of India's opening Test against South Africa, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said he would be "very surprised" if both wicketkeeper-batters Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant feature in the side this week.
Jurel has made a strong case for selection in India's playing XI after he slammed back-to-back centuries against South Africa A in the second unofficial Test at Bengaluru. The South Africa series is scheduled to begin on November 14 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Jurel, in the first innings of the second unofficial Test against South Africa A, smashed an unbeaten 132 off 175 balls, smashing 12 fours and four sixes, followed by another century in the second innings, reaching the milestone off 159 balls. Speaking about Jurel's inclusion in the playing XI, Ten Doeschate said at the pre-match press conference, "I would be very surprised if you don't see Dhruv and Rishabh playing in this Test this week. Given the way Dhruv has gone in the last six months, and scoring two hundreds in Bengaluru last week, he is certain to play this week." Jurel had impressed earlier this year during the Test series against the West Indies, scoring 175 runs in three innings, including a hundred, at an average of 87.50. He was also the fourth-highest run scorer in the series and the only lower-order batter to feature in the top five list. Since the Australia A tour of India in September earlier this year, Jurel has slammed 1,059 runs in nine matches, averaging over 81, with four centuries and six fifties in all of red-ball cricket. Jurel has amassed 430 runs in seven Tests, including a century and a fifty at an average of 47.77. Furthermore, the Dutchmen emphasised the importance of team strategy over individual development, while explaining the possible exclusion of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy from the upcoming fixture. "I said strategy comes first. The primary thing is to set out a strategy to win the game. If you can accommodate giving guys a chance for development, that comes in. Our position hasn't changed on Nitish. He didn't get much game time in Australia. But given the importance of this series and the conditions we think we're going to face, he might miss out this week," the 45-year-old added. The two-match Test series between India and ICC World Test Champions South Africa will commence on November 14, with the first Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The second Test will take place at ACA Stadium in Guwahati. In the white-ball leg, Proteas will also play three ODIs and five T20Is, starting from November 30 (ANI)
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