- By Manik Sharma
- Sat, 13 Jan 2024 05:05 PM (IST)
- Source:PTI
India unveiled their 16-member squad on Friday for the upcoming two-tests against England starting on January 25 in Hyderabad.
Dhruv Jurel received his debut call-up to the national team in the longest format. Jurel's inclusion in the team caught the eye of Kumar Sangakkara, the former Sri Lankan cricketer. Sangakkara, praised Jurel's dedication, highlighting his standout performances while representing the IPL team.
"I'm feeling very proud and happy because one of our key motivators and performance indicators in the IPL is to produce players for India and we have produced quite a lot over the years," PTI quoted Sangakkara as saying.
The young batter-keeper from Uttar Pradesh shone during the last IPL season, showing form with both bat and gloves. His impressive performances in red-ball cricket at the domestic level and consistent contributions to India 'A' made his case strong for the call-up in the national team.
"Jurel is the latest addition. He is a brilliant young man, a very good player and has worked really hard to get where he has," Sangakkara said.
"His work ethics and demeanour stand out. He came in at a very difficult position for RR (last season) and scored so many runs. He is a matchwinner in short format, but this is a real test of his technique, character and his application to be in the Test side," added the former Sri Lanka batter.
Sangakkara expressed optimism about the flexibility and adaptability of the current generation of players, emphasising the exciting changes witnessed in Test cricket. He encouraged players to find their unique methods, appreciating the diversity of playing styles emerging in the format.
“Red-ball cricket will always be relevant. At the end of the day, we are producing good cricketers and good cricketers can adapt to any format," the Director of Cricket, Rajasthan Royals said.
"The format itself need not be played in one specific way. We have seen how much it has changed and it is exciting to see the changes in Test cricket. The players that are coming through now, they are flexible and adaptable and exciting to watch. They add so much in terms of excitement and short repertoire deliveries," he said.
Jurel rose to prominence during the 2023 IPL season with Rajasthan Royals, in the role of a finisher. Serving as an impact substitute, he amassed 152 runs in the tournament, impressing with a strike rate of 172.73.