Jurel set to be rewarded for red-hot form as India drop playing XI hint for 1st South Africa Test

New Delhi: India will take on South Africa in the first Test of the two-match series at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday, November 14. The Men in Blue will aim to whitewash the Proteas in the series and climb up to the second position in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.

India's assistant Ryan Ten Doeschate confirmed that in-form Dhruv Jurel will replace all-rounder Nitish Reddy in the opening Test against South Africa.

"I think we have got a pretty good idea of the combination. Given the way Dhruv has gone in the last six months and scoring two hundreds (against South Africa A) in Bangalore last week. He is certain to play this week," ten Doeschate said in a press conference.

Jurel has been in sensational form, scoring 140, 1, 56, 125, 44, 6*, 132* and 127* in the last five first-class matches. His first-class average has also jumped to 58.00. Ten Doeschate further added that the main thing is set out a strategy to win the match, and given the conditions at Eden Gardens, Nitish Reddy is likely to miss out on the first Test.

Jurel will play the opening Test against South Africa as a pure batter, with the wicketkeeper's slot belonging to a fit-again Rishabh Pant. Ahead of the series, Jurel said that it's going to be a very exciting battle as both teams have strong pace-bowling attacks.

He also talked about the competition with Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper's slot and said both of them are playing for India.

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"There is no competition between me and Rishabh bhai. Both of us are playing for India, and whoever plays, the motive is the same: to make India win. If he plays, I am happy. If I play, I am happy. If we play together, even better. The only focus is the team," Jurel told broadcaster Jiostar on Follow the Blues.

The India vs South Africa series will be live telecast on Star Sports Network, and live streaming will be available on JioHotstar.