Test Cricket: Finally India Get a D(e) Jure(l) Wicketkeeper-Batsman!

During this England Tour of India-2023-24 things have really happened in the five-match Test Series. All the matches have produced results within four days each and there was no one-way traffic as both the teams fought tooth and nail to win. The first Test in Hyderabad that England won by 28 runs and the 4^th Test in Ranchi that India won by 5 wickets proved to be nail-biting suspense dramas. In between the Indian debutants shone bright in the Third Test in Rajkot that India won by a record margin. One of the debutants, Dhruv Jurel, went on to shine the brightest in this 4^th Test, his only second. On the second day at stumps of the 4^th test match this writer had left you stating that if India conceded more than 100 runs to England it would most likely prove fatal for the hosts. Dhruv Jurel changed that story in its entirety and scripted a brand-new chapter (in fact, this writer did hint on a coincidental partnership like that of England): with his team reeling at 219/7, still trailing by 134 runs, Jurel resumed on the third day and added 73 precious runs with Kuldeep Yadav, and still didn’t give up, adding more crucial runs with the debutant pacer Akash Deep. Thus he not only reduced the deficit to a number below hundred, but brought it down to below fifty which virtually took the edge off England’s potential lead, leaving the visitors to fight it out anew in the second innings. Jurel was the last wicket out for a tremendous 90 runs in 149 balls which witnessed four sixes and six fours with his team finishing at 307, conceding just a 46-run lead to England.

After Ravichandran Ashwin’s fifer and Kuldeep Yadav’s four wickets destroyed England scuttling them out for just 145 runs with Zak Crawley scoring the highest individual score of 60 followed by the second highest of 30 by Jonny Bairstow, India needed 192 runs to win which looked rather easy, made easier by the way Rohit and Jaiswal began—they finished the third day at 40 without loss and then on the  fourth day carried on the opening partnership to 84 runs at which stage it seemed India was cruising to seal the Series. However, any total of more than 150 runs on the fourth day on a turning pitch is never easy. With England spinners Bashir and Hartley in action from both ends anything could’ve happened. And the India wickets did tumble—from a position of strength they were tottering at 120 for 5 at which stage, again, the match could’ve gone to the English way with their aggressive captain Ben Stokes giving out everything for a win to stay alive in the Series.

Dhruv Jurel changed that, one more time. He found a strong companion in the form of another youngster of promise, Shubman Gill, who got his act together this time. Both of them kept on inching toward the target in a determined way, combining defence with cautious aggression and never delving into the proverbial shells. Nothing worked for England after that, and the duo achieved the win for their team with an invaluable unbeaten partnership of 72 memorable runs—Gill remaining not out on 52 and Jurel not out on 39 runs. India sealed the Test Series taking an unassailable lead of 3-1 with the fifth and the last Test starting from 7^th March in Dharamshala.

Dhruv Jurel was named the Player of the Match—a title only in his second Test. And for India, they have finally found a solid wicketkeeper-batsman of future after searching for one since MS Dhoni retired and then after Rishabh Pant unfortunately had a serious accident that put him out of action for a long time during which the Indian selectors tried on various options: from the likes of Sanju Samson to KS Bharat, not to speak of the sporadic KL Rahul episodes. Dhruv Jurel fits in nicely with all the requirements—his classy keeping and catching behind the stumps, his technically sound batting and a suitably calm temperament with his three innings so far being signs of things to come.  

Dreams that do indeed come true for so many of us human beings thanks to their relentless pursuits: Dhruv Jurel hailing from the modest family of a retired army havildar father and a homemaker mother in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, his mother reportedly selling her jewelries for the fulfilment of her son’s dreams, and Jurel achieving a place in Team India at the age of just 22; very similar to that of Sarfaraz Khan who also has very humble beginnings and who had really to fight hard all the way to find himself in the national team, how can we forget the tearful scenes with his father and his wife in the stadium of Rajkot during the third test! Enliven up your dreams, Young India! Amen!