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Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has stated that both Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel should make it to the playing XI for the first Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens, starting on Friday, November 14.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra also asserted that either Nitish Kumar Reddy or Sai Sudharsan has to be benched to bring in the in-form batter Dhruv Jurel to the playing XI. However, Chopra is confident that Reddy will not get a chance in the XI for the first Test.
"The team has been selected and both Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant are there. Rishabh Pant will play. Rishabh Pant is the vice-captain. So he is going to play and he should play. He is a generational talent if you talk about Test cricket, but I feel Dhruv Jurel should also be played. A place should be created for him in the XI," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"The question will be whether you will compromise Sai Sudharsan from the top or Nitish Kumar Reddy from below. I think Sai Sudharsan should be allowed to play at No. 3. You haven't got Nitish Kumar Reddy to do his job properly thus far. So you can actually sacrifice him and keep Dhruv Jurel there," he added.
For the unversed, Jurel went on to score 132* runs in the first innings of the second unofficial Test against South Africa A. Later in the second innings, he scored 127* runs, showcasing his exceptional form. Speaking on Star Sports, former Indian pacer Varun Aaron advocated for Jurel’s inclusion ahead of Reddy.
"Jurel and Pant scoring runs together, it's so many good headaches for this Indian setup, in the T20 setup, in the ODI setup, in the Test setup, but then again, if they are going to bowl Nitish Kumar Reddy just five or six overs, they might as well play Jurel," Varun Aaron said on Star Sports.
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