Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has reckoned that Dhruv Jurel was named in the Indian team’s squad for the ongoing T20I series against England based on potential. He also added that Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer couldn’t have been picked ahead of Jurel as the hosts needed a second wicketkeeper-batter as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “Dhruv Jurel has been picked because you need a second wicketkeeper in the team. It’s a five-match series, so you really want a second keeper. He has been picked because of one word, and that is potential. I don’t mind it. Questions might be asked many times by comparing players’ performances. However, in the end, as a selector, you need to see the potential. You need to take a brave call at times, for which you might be criticized occasionally.”

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While talking about that Dhruv Jurel has impressed in Test cricket, Aakash Chopra stated that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) wicketkeeper-batter
hasn’t been in great touch in the Indian Premier League and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

“Remember, this was the same Dhruv Jurel who gave a Player of the Match performance in the Ranchi Test, and he played like wow. He is a very decent batter. There is no doubt that he doesn’t have the numbers as of now. If you check his T20 numbers, whether it’s the IPL or SMAT, they are not great numbers. However, the selection is done by looking beyond the numbers at times, and I am okay with it. If the selection had to be done only based on numbers, you won’t get a better statistician than Mohandas Menon, he could have picked the entire team. You appoint Test cricketers like Ajit Agarkar and company so that they take a slight gut call based on potential,” Aakash Chopra concluded.