India captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir have a few dilemmas when it comes to picking the playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. One of the biggest dilemmas comes in the middle order, where the Indian team management will have to choose between wicket-keeper batter Dhruv Jurel or the recently recalled Sarfaraz Khan . Jurel’s inconsistent red-ball scores and tendency to throw his wicket away has put him under pressure. As per reports, the Indian team management has asked Jurel to up his performances in Test cricket.
The Indian team management is reportedly not satisfied with the performances of a key cog in the middle order of the Test team.
As per a report by Times of India , the team management reminded him that he needs to significantly improve to retain his spot as a pure batter in the playing XI. The team management was reportedly surprised at Jurel’s low scores and the manner in which he got out. Jurel performed poorly in India’s 0-2 home Test series whitewash against South Africa in November 2025. Jurel managed just 19 in India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan in June. He then slammed a hundred and fifty for India A against Sri Lanka A, but managed scores of just 1 and 17 in India’s warm-up game ahead of the upcoming series.
