Sometimes, the first impression is really the best one. The first impression of Dhruv Jurel in Test cricket was of a good player. Here is how he faced his first two deliveries on his India debut: Jurel’s back foot loaded up and his front foot moved towards the pitch. He then covered his off-stump to leave an away-going delivery with ease.
The second delivery nipped back in enough from outside off. For a fraction of a second, one wondered whether this would trouble the ’keeper-batter a little more. Jurel, though, picked the nip-backer early enough and once more gave a fine exhibition of his defensive prowess.
Those two deliveries gave an indicator that he had a watertight defence. The next litmus test he had to pass was regarding temperament. Even though Jurel ended up making a useful contribution in Rajkot, his temperament was yet to be tested at the highest level. It didn’t take long for him to crack the code for that test. A few days later, he became the toast of the nation — playing superlative hands in the first and second innings under severe pressure in Ranchi.
Consider the situation Jurel found himself in. When Kuldeep Yadav joined forces with him, the score read 177 for 7. Jurel didn’t just showcase sound defence, but was alert to take ones and twos. He also skipped down the track to land some big blows against the English spin duo. After Kuldeep was dismissed, Jurel hit top gear and finished with a game-breaking 90. Basically, it was a complete package from Jurel.
He wasn’t finished yet. In the second innings, when Jurel took strike, India were in a spot of bother at 120 for 5, requiring a further 72 to seal the series. On a track where the ball was keeping low, runs were hard to come by. But Jurel immediately carved out a path in tricky conditions by rotating the strike. He dinked a single here, pinched another run there. Within no time, India needed 30 instead of 70 for a win.
He also took a lot of pressure off Shubman Gill, allowing him to anchor the innings. Such was Jurel’s mastery over conditions that it felt like he was playing on an adjacent wicket, which is batting-friendly in nature.
Now, just scratch the outside coating a little bit and it can be seen that even in his maiden first-class game in 2022, Jurel played with a sense of equanimity. He took his guard at 169 for five and Uttar Pradesh were still not out of the woods. Jurel shepherded the lower order and added 132 crucial runs. In his second game, too, Uttar Pradesh were in a tricky position at 162 for five. The stage was set for Jurel and he didn’t disappoint with a gritty 99-ball 55.
The remarkable part is Jurel is doing all this at the age of just 22 or 23. And he is just two Tests old. Such was his composure in the Ranchi Test that somewhere in the future, he could very well play as a specialist batter. The caveat here is Rishabh Pant returning to action as a keeper-bat. Just to add a bit of heft to the point, Jurel’s highest individual score of 249 in first-class cricket came at the top of the order.
Returning to the present, Jurel has raised the bar high in just his second game. A mere glimpse of his temperament and it won’t be a surprise if he manages to raise the bar higher and higher.