Dhruv Jurel to make debut in India vs Australia 1st Test? Heartwarming Border-Gavaskar Trophy post sparks speculation

Amidst all the chaos, Jurel added a touch of warmth to his Instagram feed by sharing a photo with a heartfelt caption. "From eagerly setting alarms to watch India's Tests in Australia to now waking up without any alarms," wrote Jurel alongside the post, which featured him sporting his jersey for the series.

A post shared by J U R E L (@dhruvjurel)

Jurel put in some exceptional performances with the bat and with gloves in the five-match Test series at home against England earlier this year. Making his Test debut in the third Test after an injury to Rahul, Jurel scored 90 runs largely batting with the tail in India's first innings which helped them avoid handing England too big a lead. He then saw India through to victory with Gill in the second innings by scoring an unbeaten 39 off 77 balls and was declared player of the match. Overall, Jurel has scored 190 runs at an average of 63.33 with one half-century in four Test innings.

It emerged on Saturday that Gill fractured his left thumb while fielding during the intra-squad match at the WACA. This came just a day after Rahul was struck by a ball and was unable to come out to bat further on Day 1. As per a report in Sydney Morning Herald, Virat Kohli was also impeded by an injury concern, but was found to be "fine" after undergoing scans.

A thumb fracture generally takes roughly around 14 days to heal. As of now, it is expected that the right-handed batter will be available for the 2nd Test in Adelaide, set to begin on December 6. India A were all out for 161 runs in their first innings against Australia A in Melbourne and Jurel alone scored 80 runs in 186 balls in a knock that earned him plaudits across the board. Jurel then scored 68 off 122 in the second innings as India A lost the match by six wickets.