India wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel has well and truly arrived in Test cricket after making his debut in Rajkot. The 23-year-old has been brilliant behind the stumps with the gloves on but he was even better with the bat in India's first innings of the fourth Test against England in Ranchi.
Missed a hundred but made a huge mark
Jurel missed out on his maiden Test hundred by just 10 runs on Day 3 on Sunday but his innings helped India stage a comeback in the match after the hosts suffered a collapse at the JSCA stadium.
Jurel's 149-ball stay at the crease included 6 fours and 4 sixes.
Jurel & Kuldeep to the rescue
He batted with the tail-enders for the major part of his knock and it was his partnership worth 76 runs with Kuldeep Yadav which brought India right back in the contest and ensured that they conceded a lead of just 46 runs, instead of a three-digit figure.
Jurel was the last batter to be dismissed as India got bowled out for 307 in the first session. He received a massive round of applause from the capacity crowd at the venue and was even congratulated by former England captain Joe Root after he got out on 90.
Gavaskar compares Jurel to MSD
But there was even bigger praise in store for Jurel as Sunil Gavaskar called him the "next MS Dhoni" of Indian cricket. Notably, Jurel got a standing ovation from the spectators in Ranchi, which is Dhoni's hometown.
"Watching the presence of mind of Dhruv Jurel makes me think he's the next MS Dhoni in the making," Gavaskar said on air during his commentary stint.
Showing his class
What's even more impressive for India is that Jurel showed that he can soak pressure with utmost ease as the country's long search for a wicketkeeper-batter in the absence of Rishabh Pant finally seems to have come to an end.
Jurel found an able ally in Kuldeep Yadav who made 28 off 131 balls, in an innings of utmost grit and determination as the duo put together valuable runs in the eighth wicket stand that brought the deficit under 100.
Who is Dhruv Jurel?
Dhruv Jurel hails from Agra in Uttar Pradesh whose father served in the Indian Army as a Havaldar. Dhruv's father Nem Singh Jurel was a Kargil war veteran who wanted his son to join the Army as well. But Dhruv had other ideas.
The academy where Jurel landed belonged to Noida's most famous cricket coach Phool Chand, who was taken aback by the absence of any guardian with the boy.
Rise in Indian cricket
Jurel's progression to the senior team has been a gradual one. He played age group cricket for Uttar Pradesh, before becoming vice-captain of the India Under-19 team that finished runners-up in the 2020 World Cup in South Africa.
He was subsequently bought by Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 IPL auction and made his debut for the team last year.
