"The next MS Dhoni has arrived"- Netizens hail Dhruv Jurel for his sensational match-winning knocks under pressure in 4th IND vs ENG Test in Ranchi
Young Indian wicket-keeper batter Dhruv Jurel was on the receiving end of huge praise from the online cricket community after his match-winning performance in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi. Courtesy of his batting exploits, India beat England by five wickets in the match and also won the series.
The hosts were in a precarious situation on Day 2 of the Test after the England bowlers reduced them to 177/7. Dhruv Jurel then played a gritty knock and along with Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj, took India to a respectable total of 307. His fluent and disciplined 90 (149) was pivotal in reducing the first-innings deficit to 46 runs.
Team India once again found themselves in trouble on Day 4 at 120/5, chasing 192 on a weary track with variable bounce and turn. The English bowlers created a lot of pressure on Indian batters with tight lines, preventing boundaries for a long time in the final innings. Dhruv Jurel did not panic in the crunch situation and displayed nerves of steel yet again to steer his side home in a tricky chase.
He played smartly by looking for singles and doubles and rotated the strike regularly with Shubman Gill to transfer the pressure back to England. The duo's 72-run stand helped India win the match by five wickets in the second session of the penultimate day.
Fans were extremely impressed with mature performances from Dhruv Jurel in pressure moments and heaped praise on him through their posts on X. One of them opined that he was the next MS Dhoni in the making by posting:
"The next MS DHONI has arrived. DHRUV JUREL. Cool,level headed, fantastic glove work,magnificent batting and super finishing skill to guide to victory. It is perfect that he got his 1st MOM at Ranchi."
Here are some of the best reactions:
"Pretty happy to have finished the game for the team!"- Dhruv Jurel
Speaking at the post-match presentation of the fourth Test after winning the Player of the Match award, Dhruv Jurel reflected on his performance in the match and said:
"The first innings fifty was special! But a lot of credit has to go the batters batting lower down the order to hang in there and build partnerships with me. (On facing the likes of James Anderson) I have watched a lot of him bowling on TV, and now, the opportunity to face him live, is a big thing. This experience as a batter has been really fulfilling!"
On his partnership with Shubman Gill in the second innings, Jurel added:
"Shubman and I kept talking to each other right from the start of this 2nd innings 6th wicket partnership about not throwing it away. We did not try anything fancy, just kept doing the basics and kept rotating strike. Pretty happy to have finished the game for the team!"
Dhruv will be back in action on March 7 when India and England lock horns in the fifth Test at Dharamsala.