India and New Zealand are all set to play the third and final match of the ongoing three-match series (IND vs NZ ODI). New Zealand bounced back, winning the second match in Rajkot after being defeated in the first match. The 1-1 scoreline makes the third match a must-win for both of the teams. The team which will be able to claim the third game at the Holkar Stadium will take the series home.

Ahead of the series decider, some glimpses of the Indian players were caught on camera off the field. A video shows Yashasvi Jaiswal was about to slap Dhruv Jurel, who might have made some joke on Jaiswal. The incident took place when the Indian cricketers were boarding the team bus.

Jaiswal as well as Jurel were also about to step into the bus when suddenly some comments of Jurel annoyed Jaiswal so much that he almost slapped the keeper-batter. The keeper-batter also might not expect that reaction from the young batter. Meanwhile, both of the cricketers are part of India's current ODI squad but did not get the chance to play in the previous two matches.

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Watch the moment when Jaiswal almost slapped Jurel

Dhruv Jurel teasing Yashasvi Jaiswal after the practice session, and Jaiswal almost slapped him 😂😂

What do you think Dhruv Jurel said to trigger that reaction? pic.twitter.com/IXzdmiGp5e

— Sonu (@Cricket_live247) January 17, 2026

The opening pair of Rohit Sharma and captain Shubman Gill so far has performed well in the series, which makes Jaiswal's chance to play in the series very tough. KL Rahul, who struck a well-controlled century, performed as the keeper-batter for the team. So, like Jaiswal, Jurel had to sit on the bench.

After the defeat in the second match, the Indian team management can change the playing combination. But it is unlikely to see Jaiswal or Jurel in the playing eleven.

India have suffered a setback ahead of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, with Rishabh Pant ruled out due to injury. According to reports, Pant picked up a side strain after being hit on the ribs during a net session in Vadodara and will miss the entire series.

The incident happened during India’s practice ahead of the first ODI. Pant was batting comfortably before a delivery struck him above the waist, leaving him in visible pain. He was immediately attended to by the support staff and did not continue the session.

Following scans and medical checks, doctors confirmed a side strain on the right side of his ribcage. As a result, the team management decided to rule him out to avoid further risk, dealing a blow to India’s plans for the series.

Dhruv Jurel called up as injury replacement

Dhruv Jurel has been named as Pant’s injury replacement for the ODI series. The young wicketkeeper-batter has been in fine form for Uttar Pradesh in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy and joined the Indian squad on Saturday. Pant is expected to rest for a few days before reporting to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for further assessment and rehabilitation. He had recently shown good form in domestic cricket, scoring two half-centuries while leading Delhi into the knockout stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

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This is not the first injury setback for Pant in recent times. He had earlier fractured his right foot during the fourth Test against England at Manchester and made his return through the home Test series against South Africa last year. Although he has been part of India’s ODI plans for the last two years, his last appearance in the format came during the Sri Lanka tour in August 2024.

With Pant sidelined, India may also consider Ishan Kishan as another wicketkeeping option, given his strong domestic performances. The ODI series against New Zealand will begin on January 11 at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium in Vadodara, followed by matches in Rajkot on January 14 and Indore on January 18.

The seventh and last round of the group stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26 saw the eight teams that will take on each other in the quarterfinal three days later. Karnataka will be up against Mumbai, take on Karnataka, while Uttar Pradesh will face Saurashtra on January 12. Meanwhile, Delhi will be up against Vidarbha while Punjab will face Madhya Pradesh on the very next day.

Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal ended the group stage as the leading run-getter with 640 runs in seven innings at an average of 91.42 and a strike rate of 102.56, thanks to his four centuries and 150 at the base score of 147.

A look at the top 5 batting performances from Day 7 of Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025/26

1.   Ruturaj Gaikwad (Maharashtra)

Against Goa, Maharashtra faced an ominous start, losing three wickets for two runs in the second over, and soon were reduced to 52/6 in the 21st over as captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was needed to shoulder them to a respectable total. The right-handed batter who was recently ignored for the Home ODI series against New Zealand ended with a fine knock of unbeaten 134 runs in just 131 balls. The next best score of the top six was five.

The knock was decorated with eight boundaries and six sixes at a strike rate of over 100 as they ended up with 249 for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 50 overs, besides a contribution of 53 runs from number eight, Vicky Ostwal.

Brief Scores: Maharashtra 249/7 (Ruturaj Gaikwad 134*, Vasuki Koushik 3/38) beat Goa 244/9 (Lalit Yadav 57, Prashant Solanki 4/56) by 5-runs. 

2.   Sridam Paul (Tripura)

Tripura’s number four batter, Sridam Paul, has got a decent start in List A cricket with an average of 30 in 12 innings, thanks to his five half-centuries, two of which were part of this ongoing VHT season. However, again in Jharkhand in Ahmedabad, the right-handed batter posted his maiden century in the format. This came at a crucial situation when they were 20/3 in the fifth over.

Paul ended up with 150 runs in 134 balls with the help of 13 boundaries and six sixes at a strike rate of 111.94 in a partnership of 258 runs for the fourth wicket with Rajat Dey, who himself celebrated his century to take them to 320 in their allotted 50 overs.

Brief Scores: Tripura 320 (Sridam Paul 150, Rajat Dey 102, Sushant Mishra 6/52) beat Jharkhand 123 (Manishi 40, Abhijit Sarkar 4/40) by 197 runs.

3.   Auqib Nabi Dar (Jammu and Kashmir)

Jammu and Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi Dar has impressed the entire world with his excellent swing bowling as he got signed in the Indian Premier League. But he has now also displayed his excellent batting performances during the game against Hyderabad, where he played a jaw-dropping knock under pressure.

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When he walked out to bat, Jammu and Kashmir had already lost six wickets for 78 runs in their massive chase of 269 runs before Nabi posted a massive partnership of 182 runs and ended up with an unbeaten 114 in just 82 balls at a strike rate of nearly 140, thanks to his ten boundaries and seven sixes to complete the chase by three wickets.

Brief Scores: Jammu and Kashmir 272/7 (Auqib Nabi Dar 114*, Mohammad Siraj 2/45) beat Hyderabad 268/9 (Aman Perala 60, Nabi 3/56) by 3-wickets.  

4.   Dhruv Jurel (Uttar Pradesh)

When Dhruv Jurel blasted a fine knock of 160 against Baroda, it was enough to knock the doors of the selectors through his inclusion in India’s ODI side as a wicket-keeper batter. He continued the purple patch with two more half-centuries in our next three clashes before celebrating a fine knock of 123 runs.

When Bengal set a target of 270 runs, it was important for one of the Uttar Pradesh batters to stand till the end to see off the chase. The Rajasthan Royals batted did the same and ended up with that knock at a strike rate of one to eight with the help of nine boundaries and five sixes to complete the chase by five wickets with a little less than 8 / 2 spare.

Brief Scores: Uttar Pradesh 272/5 (Dhruv Jurel 123, Aryan Juyal 56, Akash Deep 1/27) beat Bengal 269 (Sudip Gharami 94, Zeeshan Ansari 3/33) by 5-wickets.

5.   Narayan Jagadeesan (Tamil Nadu)

Narayan Jagadeesan, the 30-year-old Tamil Nadu batter who got a chance for the fifth Test as a replacement for Rishabh Pant against England, is also knocking on the door in India’s white-ball formats, especially ODIs, for that position. It has been a roller coaster campaign for the opening batter, who got two half-centuries and two ducks in his last four innings of the competition.

Jagadeesan ended up with 139 runs in 126 balls at a strike rate of more than 110 with the help of nine boundaries and five sixes during their clash against Kerala, which helped them to post a massive score of 294. In reply, Kerala got bundled out for 217 as the opposition claimed the victory by 77 runs.

Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu 294/8 (Narayan Jagadeesan 139, Eden Apple Tom 6/46) beat Kerala 217 (Rohan Kunnummal 73, Mohammad Ali 4/36) by 77 runs.

India will face New Zealand in a three-match ODI series later this month. The first match will be played in Vadodara on January 11.

The BCCI has recently announced India’s squad for the series. Shubman Gill will return to the team and lead the side, while Shreyas Iyer has been named vice-captain. Both players have recovered from injuries and missed the previous series against South Africa.

Competition in the 50-over format is very tough at the moment. Because of this, several players missed out on selection despite being in good form. With that in mind, here are three players who were unlucky to miss a place in India’s squad for the New Zealand ODI series.

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3. Axar Patel

Why has Axar Patel been left out of the last two ODI series? He played in Australia and performed well, but Ravindra Jadeja has been selected for the series against South Africa and New Zealand.

Jadeja’s batting form has dipped, while Axar has continued to improve. Axar’s bowling has been excellent over the last year, and he has also worked on his batting, especially against fast bowlers.

India needs a batting all-rounder who can play in the top seven, and Axar fits that role well. He feels unlucky to miss out on selection.

2. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Not long ago, Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his maiden ODI century. In that match against South Africa, the right-hander played a confident and fluent innings and even matched Virat Kohli shot for shot.

However, Shreyas Iyer’s return to the squad has meant that Gaikwad missed out. This is understandable, as Shreyas is an important player in this format, but Gaikwad will still be disappointed to miss the tour so soon after his big achievement.

Competition for places in India’s ODI team is very strong, and Gaikwad will need to keep performing to stay in contention.

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1. Dhruv Jurel

For the New Zealand ODI series, Rishabh Pant has been selected as KL Rahul’s backup wicketkeeper. However, Pant has not been in good form in domestic cricket for Delhi, while Dhruv Jurel has been scoring runs consistently.

Pant has clear limitations in white-ball cricket and has not played much since his serious accident. While it is fair that the selectors want to give him a chance, this may not be the right time.

Jurel looks like a more complete player in limited-overs cricket and appears to have a higher potential.

India are set to announce their squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand at home, which begins on January 11. The spotlight remains on the wicket-keeper’s slot, with reports suggesting that Ishan Kishan is in line to replace Rishabh Pant, while another name has entered the conversation in Dhruv Jurel.

Dhruv Jurel has smashed 496 runs in 10 innings of the List-A cricket at an average of 82.66 and a strike rate of 116.98 with the help of four half-centuries and one century at the best score of unbeaten 160 runs for Uttar Pradesh against Baroda. He reacted to the buzz of getting an ODI call-up.

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“Winning is what matters. All 11 players work towards one goal. Every contribution counts. Someone scoring 30 off 15 balls can be as valuable as someone scoring 100. Matches are won through team effort, so I'm very happy.” Jurel expressed to the Times of India (TOI).

Dhruv Jurel opens up on ODI call-up buzz for India

In the other two games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025/26, Jurel also celebrated two half-centuries against Chandigarh and Hyderabad as he starts his focus on playing Tests in Sri Lanka in 2026.

“I'm always excited to play red-ball cricket and am very fortunate to have played Tests for India. Test cricket has its own value. When you go abroad, and people call you a Test cricketer, it feels good. Red-ball is close to my heart and brings a different kind of respect. I'm already thinking about our series in Sri Lanka in 7-8 months, how I can prepare, the sessions we get with spinners, how I can tackle spin better.” Jurel added.

“I don't set too many goals for myself. I focus on the process. Even before the Vijay Hazare Trophy, when I got some time, I was batting for 4-5 hours and creating scenarios in my mind about what I could do. Whatever the result and selection may be, no one can take my hard work away from me. That's why I work hard.” The UP batter shed light.

The first two rounds of the ongoing season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025/26 saw some spectacular performances with the bat from the season campaigners. The third round that took place on December 29 saw more such spectacular batting performances from the youngsters and those who are trying to get their names among the Indian selection.

The two former captains of the Indian side, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who played the first two rounds of the tournament, did not feature in the third round and are expected to play a maximum of one more game before starting next year’s ODI series against New Zealand at home.

A look at the top five batting performances from Day 3 of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26

1.   Dhruv Jurel (Uttar Pradesh)

With Rishabh Pant’s off-form in the white-ball format for India, where he wants the benches on most occasions, it’s a great opportunity for the wicket-keeper batters of the domestic circuit to put up a great show and put their name into the selection process for the ODI series of the Indian side. After Jharkhand’s Ishaan Kishan, who got his name in the T20 World Cup 2026, Dhruv Jurel fired up with a fine knock against Baroda.

The right-handed batter, coming at number three, remained unbeaten for his 160 runs of 101 deliveries that paved the way for Uttar Pradesh's 54-run victory over the opposition as they made three out of three. The innings was decorated with 15 boundaries and eight sixes at a strike rate of nearly 160.

Brief Scores: Uttar Pradesh 369/7 (Dhruv Jurel 160*, Rinku Singh 63, Raj Limbani 4/74) beat Baroda 315 (Krunal Pandya 82, Zeeshan Ansari 3/53) by 54 runs.

2.   Abhishek Porel (Bengal)

Another wicket-keeper batter from Bengal, Abhishek Porel, also smashed a fine knock of 106 in just 84 deliveries at a strike rate of 126.19 with the help of twelve boundaries and a couple of sixes. This overshadowed Manan Vohra’s 122 off 127 as Bengal completed the victory over Chandigarh by six wickets.

See Also: Top 5 bowling performances from Day 3 of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26

It was a supreme knock from the opening batter who gave them the platform for the other batters to play their natural knock from the other end against the opposition on a surface that placed it for the batting performance.

Brief Scores: Bengal 320/4 (Abhishek Porel 106, Anustup Majumdar 63, Taranpreet Singh 1/15) beat Chandigarh 319 (Mann Vohra 122, Mukhesh Kumar 5/59) by six wickets.

3.   Lalit Yadav (Goa)

Lalit Yadav, who used to play for the Delhi Capitals and Delhi side in the Indian Premier League, respectively, also played a sensational knock for Goa against Sikkim. Coming at number five, the right-handed batter remained unbeaten on 131 off 111 balls at a strike rate of over 118 with the help of 14 boundaries, as it helped go out to post a massive score of 309 in their allotted fifty overs.

In reply, Sikkim could make their way to 247 despite three of their batters making it to the half centuries individually. It helped Goa to post their 3rd consecutive victory in this season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Brief Scores: Goa 309/8 (Lalit Yadav 131*, Prabhudessai 55, Gurinder Singh 2/51) beat Sikkim 247/7 (Gurinder Singh 52, Vasuki Koushik 3/34) by 62 runs.

4.   Aman Mokhade (Vidarbha)

For the last three games of Vidarbha, Dhruv, at 3, has played some crucial knocks or four successive centuries. But on a day when he failed for 21 runs in 22 deliveries, they are opening better. Aman Mokhade stood up to find knockoff 139 of 125 balls at a strike rate of more than 111 with the help of 16 boundaries and three sixes that helped bizarre to complete a successful chase.

He was well supported by Samarth R, who smashed a well-decorated knockoff 114 of 108 balls at a strike rate of more than 105 with the help of 12 boundaries against Jammu and Kashmir.

Brief Scores: Vidarbha 315/5 (Aman Mokhade 139, Samarth R 114, Yudhvir Charak 3/69) beat Jammu and Kashmir 311/9 (Yawer Hassan 79, Yash Thakur 3/73) by five wickets.

5.   Sibsankar Roy (Assam) 

Shivshankar Roy, at number 4 for Assam against Hyderabad, also recorded a fine knock of 112 runs off 109 balls at a strike rate of more than 102 with the help of eleven boundaries and 16 fours. It helped them in recording their successful chase of 314 runs by four wickets with three balls to spare.

Earlier in the game, Hyderabad posted a massive total of 310 in the allotted 50 overs with three of their batters making it to the individual half-centuries.

Brief Scores: Assam 314/6 (Sibsankar Roy 112, V Milind 3/68) beat Hyderabad 310/8 (Rahul Singh 79, Abdul Kuraishi 3/71) by four wickets.

In the third round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 group stage, Uttar Pradesh recorded their third-highest List A total, where Dhruv Jurel recorded his powerful century, and Rinku Singh maintained his strong batting form. 

It was the Elite Group B fixture in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 between Uttar Pradesh and Baroda in Rajkot, where Baroda chose to field first. Uttar Pradesh scored 369/7 in 50 overs, which was their third-highest List A total, after 387/5 and 370/5 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2016/17 edition. 

VHT 2025-26: CSK uncapped bowler claims 7-wicket figure for Maharashtra ahead of IPL 2026

Rajasthan Royals retained Dhruv Jurel record maiden List A century

Both the in-form UP batters played important knocks to set their record total in this List A season. The wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who scored 80 (61 balls) and 67 (57 balls) runs in the previous two matches, recorded his first List A century, as the right-handed batter slammed a 78-ball century. While he completed 150 runs in 97 balls, the right-handed batter scored 160 not out off 101 balls with 15 fours and eight sixes. This innings give Rajastan Royals a big relief ahead of the IPL 2026, as the franchise retained him ahead of the auction. 

Rinku Singh scored third consecutive 50+ score

Rinku Singh has a similar kind of story at the moment, as the UP captain scored 67 off 48 balls and 106 not out off 60 balls in the previous games. In the match against Baroda, the skipper scored 63 off 67 balls with two fours and three sixes. Dhruv and Rinku had a 131-run partnership for the fourth wicket. 

Before them, opener Abhishek Goswami scored a run-a-ball 51, while he had a 77-run partnership for the first wicket with Aryan Juyal, who scored 26 runs. 

Also, in the late innings, Prashant Veer played a crucial cameo of 35 off 23 balls with three fours and two sixes, as he had a 122-run partnership for the sixth wicket in less than nine overs.  

South Africa’s disciplined bowling bundled out India for 189 runs during the opening Test of the two-match series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The home side was in a good position of 75/1 in 34 overs before Simon Harmer’s four wickets saw the Proteas pick up the last nine wickets for just 114 runs in around 30 overs.

South Africa lost the left-handed opening batter, Ryan Rickelton, on the stroke of the tea break as Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist spinner, trapped the southpaw before stumps. They reduced the deficit to under 20 runs going into the break, as the surface was incredibly hard for batting against the spinners.

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Soon after the break, Ravindra Jadeja bagged the massive wicket of Aiden Markram, on four runs. The right-handed batter looked to sweep the length ball from the left-arm spinner as the ball ballooned in the air towards the silly point region, where Dhruv Jurel grabbed a very awkward catch with both hands to send the batter back into the dressing room.

Watch: Aiden Markram dismissed for 4 by Ravindra Jadeja during IND vs SA Kolkata Test

In the first innings, both the Protea openers- Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram- fired them to a solid start with the bat before Jasprit Bumrah drew the first blood with the wicket of Rickelton, as the ball sneaked through the defense of the southpaw. Markram’s 31 runs were the highest individual score in the line-up as Bumrah ended with a fine figure of 5/27 in 14 overs.

#AidenMarkram perishes trying to negate the spin from #RavindraJadeja! 🎯

Both openers are back in the hut with South Africa are still in deficit! 👊#INDvSA 1st Test LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/uK1oWLgsfx pic.twitter.com/2VYnRkPsFd

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 15, 2025

Mohammad Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel shared five wickets between them in the innings as India were pretty happy by bundling out the Rainbow Nation for 159 runs. For India, KL Rahul was the leading run-getter with 39 runs in 119 balls individually.

Both Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja ended with 27 runs each in the department as Washington Sundar smashed 29 runs in 82 balls, as they ended up with 189 runs in their first innings. South Africa took the lead in the third innings but lost two wickets in the process.  

With Sanju Samson’s potential transfer to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) nearing completion, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) are preparing for a major leadership shift ahead of IPL 2026. Reports suggest that wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal have emerged as the frontrunners to take over the captaincy role, as the franchise looks to usher in a new era under head coach Kumar Sangakkara.

According to The Times of India, Jurel holds a slight edge over Jaiswal due to his multi-dimensional skill set and on-field intelligence. The 23-year-old wicketkeeper, a homegrown RR talent, has impressed both with the bat and behind the stumps. His ability to read the game closely from behind the wickets and his calm temperament have reportedly made him the preferred choice among RR management.

In IPL 2025, Jurel enjoyed a breakthrough season, scoring 333 runs at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 156.34, cementing his place in the Royals’ middle order. Retained for ₹14 crore, Jurel’s consistent performances and strong rapport with Sangakkara have further boosted his captaincy credentials.

Jurel vs Jaiswal: Rajasthan Royals Face Tough Choice for New Captain Ahead of IPL 2026

Yashasvi Jaiswal, on the other hand, remains a strong contender. The young Indian opener, who has been one of RR’s top performers in recent seasons, brings aggression and flair at the top of the order. However, with the introduction of the Impact Player rule, RR might prefer keeping Jaiswal’s workload lighter by focusing solely on his batting duties.

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Meanwhile, reports indicate that Sanju Samson’s trade to CSK could involve Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moving to Rajasthan in what could be one of the most significant deals in IPL history. Samson, who led RR in 67 matches since 2021, guided them to the IPL 2022 final and consistently delivered with the bat.

As the retention deadline approaches, the Royals’ management is expected to finalize their next skipper soon. With the franchise undergoing major structural changes, including the exit of CEO Jake Lush McCrum and a possible venue shift from Jaipur to Guwahati, all eyes are now on who will carry the Royals’ legacy forward. At present, Dhruv Jurel appears to be leading the race, with Yashasvi Jaiswal not far behind.