RANCHI: Dhruv Jurel was distraught. He could not believe his luck. After missing out on a milestone on his debut in Rajkot — he had got out for 46 — the youngster once again fell just short of another, here at the JSCA International Stadium on Sunday. Just when it seemed like he would reach his first Test century, he had just missed out with Tom Hartley cleaning him up for 90 as India were all out for 307.
The 23-year-old from UP was looking down before looking around with a sense of disbelief. That's when a familiar face came around to offer comfort. That familiar face was Joe Root, the centurion for England on the opening day and his Rajasthan Royals (RR) teammate in the Indian Premier League.
While Jurel has been exhibiting signs of promise in the ongoing Test series, Root was one of the first high-profile names to recognise his talent. Before leaving the RR camp last year, the former England skipper had indicated the same to the youngster. 'I know that you are going to be the superstar. I can see the potential in you' were Root's words. Jurel made his debut in Rajkot against Root last week. But Saturday was the first time the duo went up against each other on the field. Just one ball from Root to Jurel, which the latter worked out for a single.
Ask Root if there was any on-field chatter between the two, the England No 4, with 31 Test hundreds, was candid. "I think he got told off for having a chat with me last week. But no, he is a lovely lad and a very talented young player. I didn't see him keep much when we were at Rajasthan. He has kept really well and I know he is a very talented player. We see a very different side of his game and he could actually come and blast the ball at six and seven down the order and he scores from ball one. To be able to transfer those skills in this format as well, he has a very sound technique, he has options to his game. As an English player, I am not surprised he has had a couple of good scores already," he said.
When Root said it, Jurel was batting on 30 and India were 219/7, trailing by 134 runs. A comeback in this Test seemed like a stretch with only Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep left in the line-up. However, with Kuldeep Yadav showing solidity, Jurel scrapped some runs. Together, they kept working away singles and doubles. England's total was still far away and there was no point in making a reckless mistake. The duo added 76 runs from 202 balls before Kuldeep fell as Anderson's 698th Test victim. Jurel was 49 at that point and could well have been stranded without getting to his fifty.
But Jurel, this time, demonstrated what he's all about.
He is an IPL generation cricketer. He played the U19 World Cup with Yashasvi Jaiswal in 2020 and made his name with RR as an impact player in IPL 2023. However, there is more to him. As someone who has been through countless struggles to reach where he is now, Jurel embraced what he saw in basketball. He is a fan of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan and categorises himself as one of the 'mad people' when it comes to preparation and single-mindedness to become the best. He doesn't like to make excuses, and just wants to make a mark whenever he gets an opportunity. He is mindful of the fact that he has to grab every chance that comes his way, for there are many in waiting.
With Akash Deep for company, he nudged Hartley for a single to get to his fifty. The celebration followed — bat raise and a salute — as a tribute to his dad who is a Kargil war veteran. But once the moment passed, Jurel got back to the job at hand. The duo kept batting normally for a while as Jurel held strike as much as possible. He was compact when it came to shot making, showing nerves of steel. And when the opportunity presented itself, he opted for big shots. A four against Hartley and then back-to-back lofts against Shoaib Bashir on a pitch that was not easy to bat on. And he was able to do so because he was prepared.
"I believe in visualisation and manifestation. Whatever match or series, one or two weeks prior, I start preparations looking at the bowling line-up who will bowl and how I will play them. I play out the scenarios and it helps. I visualised that whoever is the bowler — Anderson, Mark Wood, Hartley, whatever they bowl, I see their videos where they bowl and where my zones are and how I can hit them," he said after the day's play. "The wicket was low bounce, so obviously the runs stopped coming from the square of the wicket. I felt I had to play straight. The ball was keeping low and I kept it in my subconscious mind that it is staying low and I have to be ready and play straight. Whatever shot I hit, I hit them straight," Jurel added.
Akash Deep got out and Jurel switched to T20 mode. He went after Hartley — another six and a four followed — to get to 90. Siraj survived the next over, giving the youngster the best chance to get to the landmark.
On the second ball of the 104th over, Hartley pitched one on middle and leg, which turned sharply to hit the stumps. Another heartbreaking end to what had been an impactful innings, reducing the lead to less than 50. The entire dressing room and the stadium was on its feet as Jurel took the long back into the dressing room.
Jurel might have missed the milestone, as he admitted himself, his job was to take the team closer to England's total and he did it perfectly, setting the stage for the Indian bowlers to take over.