He struck a 140 against Australia A this week.
The 24-year-old Dhruv Jurel has become a familiar name in the India squad for Tests. He is the captain’s go-to option when Rishabh Pant is not around. Currently playing for India A against Australia, Jurel recently smashed a 140 in Lucknow. Playing in five India Tests so far, Jurel has yet to notch his maiden hundred. However, numbers are the least important factor for him.
“Honestly, earlier it did matter to me whether my score was 100 or 150. But now I understand that the team’s victory is more important. Cricket is a team game, and we play cricket so that the team wins. Now I think more about the team’s win than about my scores,” Jurel said recently.
In India Tests, his top score is a 90 in Ranchi against England, agonisingly close to triple figures. Including this, Jurel believes he has many more 90+ scores in FC cricket, which could’ve been converted to hundreds.
The right mentality of the young batter deserves admiration. Though the India A match ended in a draw, a century from the No.6 batter highlights the bench strength and adds credentials to the future of Indian cricket. His knock was laced with five sixes and 13 boundaries. In the same match, Devdutt Padikkal also hammered a 150, after twin centuries from Sam Konstas and Josh Philippe added to Australia’s daunting total.
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Recently, under the new captaincy of Shubman Gill, India drew the five-match Test series. Jurel was part of the squad and played the last game at The Oval. However, he often took the behind as the gloveman too. During the third match at Lord’s, Pant injured his finger and couldn’t keep wickets. In the Manchester Test, things got ugly for the southpaw batter as he fractured his toe and is still under rehab. He showed extreme courage and grit as he came out to bat, but Jurel remained the keeper throughout the last two Tests.
The right-handed batter is aware of the importance of being in a team. While he wasn’t the first-choice wicketkeeper, warming the bench wasn’t an issue for Jurel.
“Staying with or around the [India] team definitely gives you confidence. I consider myself very lucky and privileged that I got the chance to play Tests for India and to be with the team. Even if you are not playing, when seniors are around. You learn so many things from them. In a country of billions, how many people get this opportunity?” Jurel feels.
The next Test series is less than a fortnight away. India will host the West Indies for two games in Ahmedabad and Delhi, starting October 2. Whilst the squad is yet to be announced, Jurel holds a calm stance. His focus remains on the next India A game in Lucknow, starting on September 23.
“I take it one match at a time, and don’t think too far ahead. The more you think, the more pressure you put on yourself. Right now, I am only thinking about the next match, and only after that will I look further,” he shared his clarity of thoughts.
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