Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], October 3 (ANI): India’s wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel gave credit to England’s talismanic batter Joe Root for assisting him in refining his batting approach and strokeplay after slamming his maiden Test ton on the second day of the two-match series opener against the West Indies in Ahmedabad.
After letting the special milestone slip on home strip against England last year, Jurel remained undeterred despite standing on 99 against the West Indies. He whipped it wide of mid-on off West Indies skipper Roston Chase’s spinning delivery to drill the ball for a four to bring his first hundred in his sixth Test.
Jurel has been travelling with the squad for the last couple of series, but remained on the bench due to the team’s combination. While bidding his time on the sidelines, the 24-year-old took insights from Root during their time together in IPL outfit Rajasthan Royals and India’s tour of England earlier this year. After playing a fundamental role in putting India in a position of control, Jurel underscored how Root’s valuable inputs helped him improve as a batter.
“Yes, obviously, our England tour. Because he was in the Rajasthan Royals squad once, so since I know him, whenever I feel something, I go to him and ask what I can do for my batting. He gives a simple answer that whatever the situation is, how can you play, how can you tackle. He tells normal things. And he says that it is a little difficult to be consistent on this. You just go and do the same thing every day. You will get your results,” Jurel said in the post-day press conference.
During his final moments on the crease, Jurel flaunted his boundary-hitting muscle, sweeping, cutting and driving the ball for boundaries. He continued to bat at a high tempo and took the aerial route by dispatching the ball for a towering six straight down the ground. Jurel eventually perished at the hands of debutant Khary Pierre after giving away a healthy outside edge to Shai Hope.
As Jurel basked in the applause from the limited number of spectators, the 34-year-old Pierre celebrated his first Test scalp. After his 206-run partnership with Jadeja ended, the world number one Test all-rounder continued to exude his composed presence on the crease.
Jurel (125) wasn’t the sole centurion for India on the second day, with KL Rahul (100) and vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja (104*) flustered the West Indies bowling unit. The swashbuckling efforts from the troika powered the hosts to 448/5 and a comfortable 286-run lead. (ANI)
