England star has 'man crush' on India's Dhruv Jurel: Ben Stokes reveals name after series defeat in Ranchi
Dhruv Jurel's remarkable maturity and impactful performances in the fourth Test against England, which contributed to India's series win, earned praise from Rohit Sharma and even a playful compliment from Ben Stokes.
FollowAfter India's series-winning show against England in the fourth Test in Ranchi, one cricketer who has garnered significant praise is Dhruv Jurel. Despite playing only his second Test, Jurel displayed remarkable maturity, aiding the Indian cricket team out of a challenging situation. In the first innings, facing adversity, he scored a crucial 90, preventing India from conceding a substantial lead against the visitors. Moreover, in the second innings, his unbeaten 39 propelled the Rohit Sharma-led hosts to a sensational 17th home series win.
With this triumph, India now holds an unassailable 3-1 series lead over England, with one Test match left to be played in Dharamsala.
Also read: Ben Stokes lauds England's resilience despite series defeat to dominant India
Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian cricket team, expressed deep admiration for Dhruv Jurel and other young talents in the squad. "At present, I do not see anyone who doesn't have that hunger: those who are here in the squad and even those who are not here--every one of them wants to play. But the opportunities at this level come very rarely. If you do not utilise that opportunity, then you lose that chance. We have all experienced that. So those players who utilise the opportunities, who make the team win, who perform for the team--obviously, that is noted. That is very important," the Indian skipper said.
England captain Ben Stokes offered an intriguing compliment to Dhruv Jurel, revealing that teammate Ben Foakes probably has a man-crush on the Indian rising star.
"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," Ben Stokes was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Following his crucial role in guiding the hosts to victory in a tense run chase, Jurel expressed his adaptability to different match situations and acknowledged the support of his batting partners. He also emphasized the learning experience of facing a formidable English bowling attack, including seasoned campaigners like James Anderson and Mark Wood, whom he had watched on television during his early years in cricket.
"I want to adapt my game to whatever the situation demands. During our first innings, I thought that the more I score, the fewer would be our deficit with England and the fewer we would have to chase in the second innings. During the first innings, we lost quite a few wickets upfront and I had to bat with the tail-enders. Thankfully, however, I got a partnership going with the lower-order batters. The tail-enders also deserve credit for the way they hung around with me," Jurel said.
On battling against the likes of Anderson and Wood in the third Test, he said, "It felt good playing against them because I saw them on TV. The idea was to play the ball, not the bowler. Gill and I were having mid-pitch discussions on completing small tasks, to approach the chase in sets of ten runs each."
In a promising beginning to his Test cricket journey, Jurel showcased his mettle with a gritty 46 in his debut match at Rajkot, narrowly missing out on his first Test half-century. In the subsequent Test, although falling short of a maiden century, his impactful performances with the bat in both innings posed a pleasant selection dilemma for the team management.
