Indian wicket-keeper batter Dhruv Jurel earned a Test team spot during Rishabh Pant’s absence in the West Indies series and then consolidated his performance with sheer form. The Rajasthan Royals batter has now caused a stir within the selection committee with his recent domination in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy for Uttar Pradesh.
The ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy has truly been the dream tournament for many players who were trying to break into the Indian white-ball teams. Ishan Kishan might have been the only player who aced the show and got a comeback ticket in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, but several others, too, have auditioned magnificently.
Ahead of the announcement of the ODI squad for the New Zealand home series, a race has started between Indian domestic wicket-keepers to seal a spot in the team. Reports have claimed that Indian selectors are looking beyond Rishabh Pant as a wicket-keeping backup.
Your daily dose of cricket!
Dhruv Jurel lights up the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a maiden List A century
Indian wicket-keeper batsman, Dhruv Jurel, plays for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. The batter has been promoted up the order and currently features as a top-order batter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Jurel has grabbed this opportunity with grace and has shown unstoppable form.
Coming out of a disappointing series against South Africa, where he could not manage 50 runs after 4 innings, Jurel was not considered for the ICC T20 World Cup as well. However, when the UP batter started afresh in the VHT, he had his finest List A season with the bat.
In the first game against Hyderabad, the batter scored a dominating 80 off just 60 balls and finished it with a catch and a stumping. He summed up another half-century in the next game against Chandigarh and was awaiting the perfect opportunity for his maiden List A century.
Aryan Juyal’s early dismissal set the stage for Jurel to play a long innings. He eased into the innings with some big hits and finished on 160* off 101 balls with 15 fours and 8 sixes and a strike rate of 158.41. The batter has 307 runs in 3 matches at an average of 153.50 and a blistering strike rate of over 125.
🚨 DHRUV JUREL SMASHED 160*(101) IN VIJAY HAZARE TROPHY AGAINST BARODA 🚨
– 80(61) in the first match.
– 67(57) in the second match.
– 160*(101) in the third match.Incredible performance by Jurel at Number 3, Indian talent pool in Wicket keeping at the Top level. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/SZKdoV12cx
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 29, 2025
Indian selectors are backing Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma as Rishabh Pant’s replacement
Recent social media reports and claims from some of the senior sports journalists, like Abhishek Tripathi, have confirmed that Indian selectors are planning to make a move ahead of Rishabh Pant for the ODI team. Pant has not played a single match since August 2024.
Ishan Kishan is among the frontrunners for the role, as the left-handed batter has been in stupendous form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He was also called in for the T20 World Cup as the second keeper in the side.
इशान किशन का अच्छा समय शुरू होने वाला है……
— Abhishek Tripathi / अभिषेक त्रिपाठी (@abhishereporter) December 27, 2025
Abhishek Tripathi also said that though the selectors are more inclined towards the Jharkhand batter, someone from the Indian management has also kept Jitesh Sharma’s name in the loop. Jitesh recently lost his spot in the T20I side to Ishan Kishan.
जितेश भी लाइन में हैं… https://t.co/1grxxkr5Pf
— Abhishek Tripathi / अभिषेक त्रिपाठी (@abhishereporter) December 28, 2025
After Sanju Samson’s exit from the Rajasthan Royals team, Dhruv Jurel will be promoted as the leading wicket-keeper in the side. Alongside being the leading wicket-keeper, he might also be handed a top-order spot in the batting order for IPL 2026.
Dhruv Jurel will not only have a batting role in the side, but will also be the key man to make some calls from behind the wickets. This is a fine opportunity for Dhruv Jurel to flex his muscles and extend his impact in limited-overs cricket, since India is exploring options in the middle order.
ALSO READ: T20 World Cup panic!! Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya RULED OUT of….
