Former India wicketkeeper Kiran More has backed Dhruv Jurel to take the No.6 spot in India’s playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, starting August 15. Jurel was part of the original 15-member squad, while Sarfaraz Khan earned a late call-up after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out with an injury.

India’s top five are expected to include KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, captain Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, leaving the No.6 position as one of the major selection calls ahead of the series opener. Both Jurel and Sarfaraz made their Test debuts during the 2024 home series against England.

However, Jurel has remained more closely involved with India’s Test setup since then, while Sarfaraz has not played a Test for the national side since the New Zealand series in late 2024.

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Speaking to The Times of India, Kiran More explained why he would prefer Jurel over Sarfaraz for the opening Test. “I think Jurel will play ahead of Sarfaraz because he has already played Test cricket and done well. He’s a good fielder too. Sarfaraz has come in later and will get opportunities,” More said.

Sarfaraz does have a slightly better Test batting average, scoring at 37.10 across six matches compared to Jurel’s 34.14 in 10 Tests. However, Jurel’s recent form has been underwhelming, with the wicketkeeper-batter averaging below 31 across his last five Tests.

More also suggested that India should consider playing three frontline pacers in Galle. He backed Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Gurnoor Brar to lead the pace attack, particularly with all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy unavailable.

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India have four spin options in their squad—Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain—but playing three pacers would likely mean selecting only two specialist spinners. “My three seamers would be Siraj, Krishna and Gurnoor Brar. Since Nitish Kumar Reddy is unavailable, India need that extra pace option,” More said.

India have enjoyed a strong record against Sri Lanka in Tests, with their last series defeat coming in 2008. The upcoming two-Test series also marks the start of the second half of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, with India currently fifth in the standings.