In-form wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel will play the opening Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, with all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy the one to make way. India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed the combination on Wednesday.
Ten Doeschate said the team management was clear about its combination ahead of the opening Test, which begins on Friday. He added that he would be very surprised if Jurel and Rishabh Pant were not both seen playing in the Test this week.
Pant returns after recovering from a foot fracture suffered during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July. He will reclaim the wicketkeeper's gloves, with Jurel playing as a pure batter.
The 24-year-old Jurel has played seven Tests so far, and has struck four centuries in his last five first-class matches, including twin hundreds against South Africa A in Bengaluru last week, 132 not out and 127 not out.
Form That Could Not Be Ignored
Since mid-September 2025, Jurel's first-class form has been remarkable, with scores of 140, 56, 125, 44, 132 not out and 127 not out across five matches, including Ranji, Test and A games. His first-class average has surged from 47.34 to 58.00, making it impossible for the selectors to overlook him.
Ten Doeschate said that given the way Jurel had gone in the last six months, and his two hundreds in Bengaluru last week, he was certain to play this week. The management had already indicated on 8 November that Jurel would come in as a pure batter, and the assistant coach has now confirmed that Reddy would be the one to miss out.
Asked about Reddy's omission, ten Doeschate said the team still looked at him as a player who was playing to learn, and that the management's position on him had not changed. But with the importance of the series and the conditions expected at Eden Gardens, strategy came first, and Reddy might miss out in this Test.
Reddy has been released to join the India A one-day squad in Rajkot, where the matches are scheduled for 13, 16 and 19 November. He had a modest outing in the West Indies series, bowling just four overs in the opening Test and going wicket-less, and scoring 43 from one innings with the bat.
The assistant coach also pointed to India's depth in the lower middle order, with spin-bowling all-rounders Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja all offering batting options. He hinted that Axar Patel could return to the side in place of Kuldeep Yadav.
The first Test begins on Friday, 14 November, at Eden Gardens. The second Test will be played at Guwahati from 22 to 26 November.
