Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu reckons Dhruv Jurel has the potential to be a better batter than he is currently. Rayudu believes Jurel can unlock at least another four to five levels in his batting.
Jurel scored a crucial knock of 53 runs off 38 balls in the run chase of 221 runs against Lucknow Super Giants at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Tuesday. The wicket-keeper bat added 105 runs off 45 balls with RR opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi to break the back of the run chase.
Jurel has scored 420 runs in 13 matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 38.18 and a strike rate of 150.
Ambati Rayudu said on ESPN Cricinfo, “I think he has at least 4 or 5 levels to unlock in his batting. He is one guy I feel who has extraordinary potential. He is so clean, so neat. He has such a good technique. He just needs to free up his bat swing a little bit. I’m sure he will work with coaches during the off-season or whenever he gets time and becomes a much better ball striker than he is right now.”
“His temperament is top-class. His play against pace, he is so comfortable. There are so many good things – he steps out, he plays the spin well, reads the length well, he runs well between the wickets, I think he is a complete package that just needs to be properly unlocked and probably trained,” Rayudu added.
On the other hand, former Indian wicket-keeper bat Saba Karim reckons Jurel is comfortable when RR are chasing a target but struggles a bit with his strike rate while batting in the first innings.
He said, “I feel that there are two phases in his batting. One is when he is batting first and the other when he is batting second. When he bats second, it seems he is in complete control of the situation, match awareness, the ability to take the game down right till the end, wants to finish the game, which is a special quality.
“But when he bats first, his strike rate from zero to ten balls is slightly on the lower side. That’s when I want him to free himself, to back his talent, to back his skill, and play the big shots in the first ten deliveries and to kick-start his innings,” Karim concluded.
Rajasthan Royals will play their last league stage match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Sunday.
