Dhruv plays ‘Jurel’ of innings to save India after collapse
Bengaluru: Dhruv Jurel gave a scintillating demonstration of his technical nous with a fighting hundred, carrying India A to a respectable 255 all out after a top-order malfunction against South Africa A on the first day of the four-day match here on Thursday.
Asked to bat first, India A were in serious trouble, some of their own making, at 126/7, but Jurel (132 not out off 175 balls) and Kuldeep Yadav (20 off 87 balls) milked 79 runs for a doughty eighth-wicket stand to bail them out.
Jurel’s innings stood out for its marvellous adherence to batting technique, helping him survive the vagaries of conditions, pitch and relentlessness of Protean bowlers under largely overcast skies.
His batting neither touches the vast expanses nor does it have an element of derring-do, but it’s based on stunning compactness that allows him to collect runs stealthily.
Even the six he hit off off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen over long on was not an explosive act, but more a melange of timing and precise ball placement.
Later his slog-swept six off Subrayen too was not a shot hit in anger, but testified his judgment and awareness of field setting around him. On other occasions, he either leaned on his front-foot to smother the spin or waited late to turn the balls to on-side for singles.
The pacers Tshepo Moreki and Tiaan Van Vuuren (4/52) found steady bounce off the pitch here under overcast skies, but Jurel was quick to climb over the balls to guide them past the point fielder for boundaries.
Jurel flicked when the SA bowlers slanted the balls onto his pads, and pulled out drives when they pitched up to him.
On the day, his initial movement and footwork were so decisive that he seldom got stuck in no-man’s land playing the shots. The only time he looked awful at the crease was when he attempted a lap shot in vain off Van Vuuren.
Soon the 24-year-old fetched his fourth first-class hundred with a single off Van Vuuren, much to the delight of his teammates and a few spectators who hung around the periphery of BCCI Centre of Excellence grounds.
It was also his third hundred in the last seven innings after going past three digits against Australia A at Lucknow and the West Indies. agencies
