IND vs AUS: "I’d Be Staggered if he Doesn’t" – Tim Paine Backs Dhruv Jurel to Play as Pure Batter in Perth Test

Former Australia skipper Tim Paine has said he would be staggered if wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel does not feature for India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener, scheduled to begin on November 22 in Perth.

Jurel has been picked as a back-up to first choice wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, but has made his case for a starting spot after impressing during the unofficial Test for India A against Australia A last week.

The 23-year-old, who has made only three Test appearances for India, looked composed, contributing scores of 80 and 68 for India A, batting at No.6 in the low-scoring MCG contest.

The former Australia captain Paine, who coached Australia A in the match, believes the right-hander will play as a specialist batter in the opening Test of the summer in Perth.

"I don't know if you saw much of the highlights, but after seeing him bat (against Australia A) - even though he's a wicket-keeper, from what I've seen on this tour and from India's batting in the last couple of months, I'd be staggered if he doesn't play," Paine told Australian radio station SEN on Tuesday (November 12).

"He scored one of the more polished 80s I've seen, and we were all sitting around as staff of Cricket Australia and thought, 'Wow, this guy can seriously play'."

Paine acknowledged that Jurel will face a step up in class if selected to play the crucial ICC World Test Championship clash against Australia, but thinks he is up to the challenge and will be suited by the fast conditions expected in Perth.

"He's 23 and he's played three Test matches, but he looked a class above all of his teammates, to be fair, and handled the pace and bounce really well, which can be unusual for an Indian player," Paine added before picking Jurel as the one to watch in the series.

"Keep an eye out for him this summer. I think he's going to impress a lot of Australian fans. Even though it's going to be another step up against the big three (Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood), he looks like he has the game to play Test cricket."