“He is a player you should invest in” - Aakash Chopra opens up on selectors picking Dhruv Jurel ahead of Rishabh Pant for England T20Is

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has opened up on the Indian selection committee going ahead with Dhruv Jurel and Sanju Samson and keeper-batters ahead of Rishabh Pant for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England.

Notably, the T20I series starts at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on January 22 and moves ahead to Chennai, Rajkot, Pune, and Mumbai, ending on February 2. Pant last played a T20I against Sri Lanka away from home in July 2024.

“You picked Dhruv Jurel and didn't pick Rishabh Pant. That's an interesting one. It cannot happen that you are thinking Rishabh Pant is not capable of playing T20s, that he doesn't do well in white-ball cricket. Are we going to take that call so early in somebody's career?" Chopra stated on his YouTube Channel.

“I feel Rishabh Pant is an asset. He is a generational talent. He is a player you should invest in. He might have been rested as he has come after playing a long series. However, his name is not certain for the Champions Trophy. Even if it is, it's not certain in the XI. So you could have kept him with the team," he added.

“Temperament is absolutely outstanding” - Aakash Chopra on Dhruv Jurel

Interestingly, Dhruv Jurel has so far represented in only two T20Is, scoring just six runs. However, Aakash Chopra is impressed with Jurel’s performance in Ranchi against England last year. However, he also feels the keeper-batter is going to be benched against England in T20Is with Samson set to open the innings.

“I love the kid. How well he bats. Temperament is absolutely outstanding. We saw in Ranchi that the guy has the might. He was playing his first match and gave a Player of the Match performance. He has got a lot of potential and promise. However, when we see T20 cricket, the third 'P', which is performance, hasn't come yet. So you have picked him on total pure potential. He is a middle-order batter for sure but he is also going to warm the bench," Chopra concluded.

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