India vs Australia: As the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy approaches, former Australia skipper Tim Paine has tipped wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel to shine in Down Under and lauded the India star for the way he has batted on the bouncy Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the second unofficial Test against Australia A.

While Jurel has only played three matches and was included in India's five-match Test series in Australia, Paine believes the young wicketkeeper-batter can make a big impact for the touring party against the Aussies.

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The 23-year-old left a lasting impression on Paine during India A's recent match against Australia A in Melbourne. In the unofficial Test, Jurel slammed 80 and 68 batting at No.6 in the low-scoring MCG contest and former Australia captain - who coached Australia A in the match - predicted that Jurel will feature as a specialist batter in the opening Test of the summer, scheduled to take place in Perth.

“I don't know if you saw much of the highlights, but after seeing him bat (against Australia A) – even though he’s a wicket-keeper, from what I’ve seen on this tour and from India’s batting in the last couple of months, I'd be staggered if he doesn't play," Paine told Australian radio station SEN on Tuesday.

“He scored one of the more polished 80s I've seen, and we were all sitting around as staff of Cricket Australia and thought, ‘Wow, this guy can seriously play’," he added. 

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Earlier this year Jurel made his Test debut against England in Rajkot. Paine acknowledged that Jurel would face a giant leap in quality if chosen for the match against Australia. With Perth's pitch expected to offer fast conditions, Paine thinks Jurel's game will be well-suited, providing an ideal platform for him to showcase his talents.

“He's 23 and he’s played three Test matches, but he looked a class above all of his teammates, to be fair, and handled the pace and bounce really well, which can be unusual for an Indian player,” Paine said of Jurel.

"Keep an eye out for him this summer. I think he's going to impress a lot of Australian fans. Even though it’s going to be another step up against the big three (Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood), he looks like he has the game to play Test cricket," the former Australia captain said.