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Team India wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel has enjoyed a fairytale last week with a brilliant century in the opening Test against the West Indies, followed by selection in the ODI squad for the upcoming tour of Australia. Yet, many believed Jurel's inclusion in the ODI roster came unjustly at the expense of the talented Sanju Samson.
With the 2027 ODI World Cup still some distance away, the upcoming three-match series in Australia should offer Indian fans a glimpse of what the near future might hold.
The duo's numbers in the ODI format validate such claims, as Jurel is yet to play the 50-over format for India, while Samson has averaged over 56 in his 16 appearances. However, a section believed the Indian management did the right thing by picking the less experienced of the two glovemen.
On that note, we look at three reasons why India made the right decision by picking Dhruv Jurel over Sanju Samson for the upcoming ODI series in Australia.
#1 Prioritizing fit and flexibility
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar clearly stated the better fit for the middle-order as the reason behind picking Jurel over Samson in ODIs during the squad announcement. Yet, many retorted to Agarkar's statement by pointing to Samson's incredible ODI numbers across positions and his century when last featured in an ODI.
Yet, one must remember the said century came way back in 2023, and Samson batted at No. 3 in the outing against South Africa. Thus, given the nearly two-year gap from when he last played ODI, this is as good as selecting between two new wicketkeepers.
Considering that, Jurel is undeniably the better fit for No.5 or 6 in the batting order, having performed the role more often in other formats for Team India. While Samson has achieved most of his recent success in the top-order in T20Is or in the IPL, Jurel has consistently batted in the middle or the lower middle-order for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
Even for India, Jurel's three T20I innings have come in the middle-order, and he also routinely plays that role in the red-ball format.
Hence, given that the top four for India in ODIs are written in stone, Jurel or Samson will always bat at No.5 or below. Given that, the former offers better recent proof of concept for inclusion in that spot.
#2 Recent form in meaningful games
As talented and eye-pleasing as Sanju Samson certainly is, the year 2025 hasn't been kind to him when it comes to international cricket and the IPL. While neither Jurel nor Samson has played ODIs this year, their numbers in meaningful games elsewhere convey much.
The latter has struggled in T20Is in 2025, averaging only 20.33 at a strike rate of 122.81 in 12 outings. Samson also endured a torrid IPL 2025 season, battling with injuries, scoring only a lone half-century in nine matches despite batting in the top order.
The Kerala batter was scratchy in his three most recent T20Is, batting at No.5, averaging an underwhelming 25.33 at a strike rate of 124.59.
Meanwhile, Jurel is coming off a brilliant century in India's most recent Test against the West Indies and averages almost 60 in two Tests this year. Furthermore, batting in the more volatile middle-order position for RR in the IPL, the young right-hander thrived with 333 runs at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 156.33 in 14 matches.
Thus, more recent international and IPL form, especially in the middle-order role, massively favors Jurel.
#3 Deeper numbers
The occasional myth that Dhruv Jurel is predominantly a red-ball batter, while Sanju Samson is a more all-format player, couldn't be more false. Deeper numbers in domestic cricket suggest the opposite.
In List-A cricket, Samson averages a sub-par 33.85 at a strike rate of 90.21 in 128 outings. On the other hand, Jurel boasts outstanding List-A numbers with an average of over 47 and a strike rate of 92.19 in his 10 matches.
While the sample space may be skewed, the batting numbers in the 50-over format are heavily in favor of Jurel. Furthermore, for what it is worth, the 24-year-old has recent experience batting in Australia in the international arena.
Jurel played in one of the Test matches of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which could aid him in combating the pace and bounce of the Australian wickets in the upcoming ODI series. On the other hand, Samson last played an international game in Australia back in T20Is in 2020.
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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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