• Source:JND
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Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25: Wicketkeeper batters KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel are likely to join India A squad in Australia ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with plans to gain valuable match practice. As per a report in The Indian Express, both Rahul and Jurel will depart by Tuesday morning to participate in the second four-day game against Australia A, beginning Thursday in Melbourne. This early departure aligns with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior selection committee’s objective of ensuring both players gain sufficient game time, given their limited recent playing exposure.

Rahul recently appeared in the opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru but struggled to make an impact, while Jurel’s sole role in the series was as a substitute wicketkeeper when Rishabh Pant suffered a knee injury. 

Meanwhile, the Indian squad will fly to Australia in two batches. In an approach tailored by captain Rohit Sharma, the usual warm-up match against India A has been replaced with center-wicket match simulations to provide more controlled preparation conditions, as the management believes this format offers better readiness for facing Australia than conventional match-ups against local sides.

“We are travelling with a squad of 19 players and only three days were allotted to us. I don’t know how much workload we can get in those three days in terms of getting everyone prepared. The management feels that we’d rather have a match simulation where batters can spend more time in the middle and the bowlers can bowl a lot of balls. That is something that we as a team feel more comfortable doing rather than playing a practice game because game time is not a problem,” Rohit said after the 0-3 home whitewash against New Zealand on Sunday.

Rohit also pointed out the amount of workload players have with limited time-frame.

“If a batter gets out, he has to sit in the dugout for the whole day, and doesn’t get too much batting done. However, in a match simulation, the batters can go out and play 50-70 balls and then if we feel he’s had enough, we can retire him out and get someone else in. That is the plan,” the skipper informed.

The first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be played at the Optus Stadium in Perth starting on November 22.