Dhruv Jurel Shines Amid India A's Struggles in Challenging Conditions
Jurel continued his determined innings with Nitish Reddy, pushing India A past 100 and showcasing solid backfoot play, crucial for the unpredictable bounce on this pitch. With openings in India’s Test middle-order, his impressive resilience likely strengthened his case for selection.
India A’s Dhruv Jurel stood out on a challenging first day of the second unofficial Test against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. With a gritty 80 in an otherwise struggling Indian batting lineup, Jurel was the top scorer as his team posted a modest total of 161, well short of what they had hoped for. Australia A's seam attack, led by Michael Neser, exploited a green-top pitch after winning the toss, causing early collapses for the visitors.
India A faced immediate trouble as Neser struck twice in the opening over. Abhimanyu Easwaran, auditioning for a potential Test spot, was caught off guard by the excessive seam movement and edged a delivery to gully. Sai Sudharsan fell on the very next ball, also succumbing to the pitch's variable bounce and movement. KL Rahul, auditioning once more for an opener’s role, managed a boundary but was quickly caught behind, leaving India A struggling at 11/4 by the third over.
Despite the early damage, Jurel, with the support of Devdutt Padikkal, initiated a recovery. The two batsmen saw off the challenging spells from Neser and Scott Boland, and India A’s scoring rate picked up slightly. However, Neser's return before lunch spelled trouble once again, as he dismissed Padikkal for 26, ending a 53-run partnership.
Jurel continued his determined innings with Nitish Reddy, pushing India A past 100 and showcasing solid backfoot play, crucial for the unpredictable bounce on this pitch. With openings in India’s Test middle-order, his impressive resilience likely strengthened his case for selection. However, Australia A continued to find breakthroughs, with Beau Webster dismissing both Nitish and Tanush Kotian in quick succession.
Jurel managed to add another 36 runs alongside Prasidh Krishna, holding India A's innings together before he was eventually dismissed just 20 runs shy of a century. India A were bowled out for 161 shortly after, although Neser was forced to sit out the rest of the game with a hamstring injury.
Australia A's batters faced similar challenges on the green wicket. Mukesh Kumar dismissed Nathan McSweeney early, while Khaleel Ahmed sent Cameron Bancroft back to the pavilion. Marcus Harris managed to hold firm, ending the day unbeaten on 26. Australia A finished at 53/2, trailing by 108 runs.
