Sanjay Bangar bats for Dhruv Jurel’s inclusion for IND vs SA 2025 1st Test

Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar has backed Dhruv Jurel’s inclusion for the opening Test match against South Africa. Bangar highlighted that the team has tried to give Nitish Kumar Reddy enough opportunities in Test cricket.

Reddy was backed in the series against the West Indies but he wasn’t utilised much, with neither bat nor ball. After the series against the Windies, Indian captain Shubman Gill said they want to develop Nitish Kumar Reddy for the overseas Test series.

On the other hand, Jurel has been in fine form and recently returned with scores of 132 and 127 in the second unofficial Test against South Africa A while playing for India A. Furthermore, the right-hander scored 175 runs in three innings at an average of 87.50 against the West Indies.

Sanjay Bangar said on ESPN Cricinfo, “I agree, because you certainly tried to give Nitish Kumar Reddy as many chances as possible so that he could be prepared for overseas Test matches. However, in Test cricket, it’s a bit difficult to develop a player while playing at the highest level. If you already have an in-form batter, and let’s not forget, there are still a few spots open in India’s batting lineup, then you would definitely want to develop that player as well.”

“If you have a batter in good form, with the right skill set, who has scored runs in tough conditions, you’d want to invest in him too, because batting will be equally important when India plays their next away series in New Zealand. So, in that context, if India decides to go with both wicketkeepers, it would be the right decision,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bangar backed India’s vice-captain Rishabh Pant to continue with wicket-keeping duties after returning from injury.

“The gloves will remain with Pant because, despite how much he has entertained and contributed with the bat for the Indian team, his primary job is still wicketkeeping. Jurel will serve as the backup keeper. The advantage for India is that they won’t need to use a substitute fielder as a wicketkeeper if such a situation arises.”

The opening Test match between India and South Africa will be played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, from November 14 onwards.