“I think Ben Foakes has a little man crush on him” - Ben Stokes hails Ranchi Test hero Dhruv Jurel with cheeky comment
England captain Ben Stokes has jokingly commented that keeper-batter Ben Foakes might have a ‘man crush’ on Indian stumper Dhruv Jurel while praising the latter for his wonderful performance in the Ranchi Test.
India beat England by five wickets in the fourth Test at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Monday, February 26. Young keeper-batter Jurel was named Player of the Match for his scores of 90 and 39*. He was also impressive behind the stumps.
Speaking at a post-match press conference following England’s defeat, skipper Stokes displayed his humorous side when he commented while hailing Jurel:
“Both innings he's played very well. His keeping was also something to watch - I think Ben Foakes has a little man crush on him there.”
Jurel came into bat in a tricky situation in the first innings. After England posted 353 on the board, India had lost half their side for 161, which soon became 177/7. However, the 23-year-old Uttar Pradesh cricketer played a mature knock under pressure. He featured in crucial partnerships with Kuldeep Yadav and Akash Deep to ensure India kept England’s lead to 46 runs.
In the second innings as well, the hosts were in some trouble at 120/5, chasing a target of 192. Jurel and Shubman Gill (52*), however, held their nerves to lift India to a series-clinching win. Earlier, Jurel had also contributed a defiant 46 in the first innings of the Rajkot Test, which was his debut match for India.
Reflecting on India’s fightback in Ranchi, Stokes admitted that England did not grab their chances when they were ahead in the game.
"It's always disappointing being on the losing team. Looking back at when we had our chance to bat yesterday, cricket is always skill against skill… You've got to give them [India] a lot of credit for the way in which they bowled in very favorable conditions. On this occasion, their skill was better than ours yesterday [Sunday]," he conceded.
After gaining a first-innings lead of 46 runs, England were all out for 145 in their second innings.
“Jurel showed solid composure, calmness” - Indian captain Rohit Sharma
Indian captain Rohit Sharma also hailed keeper-batter Jurel for his excellent performance under pressure in the Ranchi Test.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, he praised the youngster’s calmness and said:
"Jurel playing his second Test showed solid composure, calmness and he's got the shots as well to play all around the wicket. The first innings 90 of his was very crucial for us to get close to that England's total and again in the second innings showed a lot of maturity, composure along with Gill."
The fifth and final Test of the India-England series will be played in Dharamsala starting March 7.