"Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli used to bat at No. 4" - Former India keeper on Dhruv Jurel's dismissal for a duck in IND vs SA 2025 2nd Test

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel has criticized Dhruv Jurel for attempting an ungainly pull shot that led to his dismissal in the second Test against South Africa. He highlighted that the youngster was batting at No. 4, a position where the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have excelled in Tests.

Jurel was dismissed for an 11-ball duck as India were bowled out for 201 in their first innings in Guwahati on Monday, November 24. South Africa ended Day 3 on 26 for no loss in their second innings, with a lead of 314 runs.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Parthiv was asked about Jurel's shot selection just before Tea.

"Even if the Tea break hadn't been close, this shot was not on. He is deservedly playing as a batter because he has scored a lot of runs. However, here, he wasn't in control at all. Generally, when the ball is outside the right shoulder of a right-handed batter and you try to play it on the leg side, you are not in control. That ball mostly goes in the air, and that's what happened here," the cricketer-turned-commentator responded.

"Secondly, when you are playing Marco Jansen, you need to keep the extra bounce in mind because he is so tall. He has let go of a third consecutive opportunity. He is getting to bat at No. 4. Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli used to bat at No. 4. Shubman Gill is batting at No. 4 now. He has also scored a lot of runs," he added.

Parthiv Patel highlighted that No. 4 is a very high-profile position in Indian cricket. He added that a lot of runs are expected from anyone who bats at that position.

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"You also need to understand against which bowler you are playing that shot" - Cheteshwar Pujara on Dhruv Jurel's dismissal in IND vs SA 2025 2nd Test

Dhruv Jurel was promoted to No. 4 in Shubman Gill's absence. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara noted that Dhruv Jurel should have kept the bowler in mind while attempting the pull shot.

'The pull shot is Dhruv Jurel's strength. However, when it's your strength, you also need to understand against which bowler you are playing that shot. You can still understand his two dismissals in the first match as the wicket wasn't that good and he was batting under pressure," he said.

The 103-Test veteran questioned Jurel's shot selection, highlighting that Marco Jansen's delivery was going away from Jurel.

"However, this shot, when you know that when Marco Jansen bowls from over the wicket, his ball goes away from the off-stump, so it goes away from your body, the pull shot is not on there. No matter how good a puller you are, the pull shot was not on against such a tall bowler. Very poor shot selection. He will have to understand that," Pujara observed.

Dhruv Jurel skied an attempted pull shot off Marco Jansen's bowling and was caught by Keshav Maharaj at mid-on. The South African seamer went on to take five more wickets, finishing with figures of 6/48 in 19.5 overs.