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.
