Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar talked about India’s major positives from the just-concluded two-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka, which the visitors won by 1-0.
Speaking on his Instagram handle, Manjrekar termed Dhruv Jurel as one of the finds of the series, wondering how the middle-order batter would fare on the forthcoming New Zealand tour in November this year.
“In Devdutt Padikkal, India have found a very good No.3. Then Dhruv Jurel, a steady influence on a team packed with Rishabh Pant and other attacking players. This is a guy who is pretty orthodox and old-fashioned and cashes in on starts, making the 40s and 50s into big hundreds. We’ll see how he goes in New Zealand and whether he bats in that position or somewhere else,” Manjrekar said.
Notably, Devdutt Padikkal ended the two-match Test series as India’s leading run-scorer, amassing 328 runs from three innings at an average of 109.33. On the other hand, Dhruv Jurel was India’s second-leading run-scorer, smacking 173 runs from three innings at an average of 86.5.
Furthermore, Manjrekar talked about India’s bowling, highlighting the young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar’s exceptional heroics throughout the series. Suthar scalped 16 wickets from two games at an average of 21.06.
“Manav Suthar is the perfect foil for Jadeja. Manav Suthar’s true value will be seen on pitches that aren’t obvious turners, especially pitches in Australia and South Africa, where there is more bounce. Because of his overspin, he’s the kind of bowler India have always needed,” he added.
India’s next Test series will be an away tour against New Zealand in November 2026 before hosting Australia for a five-match Test series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy early next year.
