It was Dhruv Jurel's resilient knock of 90 runs that took India from 171/6 on Day 2 of the Ranchi Test, to 307 on Day 3. The young wicket-keeper, who made his debut in the series, built a 76-run stand with India's no.9 batter Kuldeep Yadav to reduce England's lead from 134 runs on Day 2 to a mere 46 at the end of India's first innings on Day 3.
Jurel's mature knock invited applauds from various legends of the cricket world including former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar who compared the youngster to the legendary Indian skipper and wicket-keeper MS Dhoni.
After the positive end of Day 3, Jurel was made aware of the words of praise Gavaskar showered on him, to which he gave a humble reply.
During the post-match press conference at the JSCA International Stadium, Jurel reacted to Gavaskar's statement and said, "Obviously it's a good feeling to hear a legend like Sunil Gavaskar talk about me."
He further informed that no specific instructions were given to him by the team management. "The mood was great, there were no specific instructions... just to go out and play. Watch the ball and play. Just that the long I play the better it is," said Jurel.
Team India lost quick wickets on Day 2 of the Ranchi Test after Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir wreaked havoc on Saturday. After Sarfaraz Khan departed with India at 171/6 on the board, Jurel walked in and continued to stay on the pitch on the third day as well, scoring 90 runs with 6 fours and four sixes. However, it was not just his batting skills that impressed everyone, but his skills behind the stumps also grabbed several eyeballs.
Praising the youngster's presence of mind, Gavaskar had said. "Of course he has batted well, but his keeping, his work behind the stumps has been equally brilliant. Just by looking at his game awareness, I want to say that he is another MS Dhoni in the making. I know there can never be another MSD but you know the presence of mind that he has, MSD also when he started, it was that. And Jurel has that game awareness. Street-smart cricketer."
When England walked out to bat with their lead against India reduced to just 46 runs, they were aiming to score big and put a massive total for the hosts. However, they fell prey to India's spin magic as Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav picked up 9 wickets between them.
Ashwin recorded his 35th five-wicket haul, recording 5/51 while Kuldeep Yadav registered a four-wicket haul while conceding just 22 runs. England collapsed after scoring just 145 runs in the second inning, putting up the target of 192 for the hosts, which they chased with 5 wickets remaining in their bank.
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