IND vs BAN: Dhruv Jurel claims Joe Root backstabbed him in the England Tests

Young Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel recalled his playing experience in his first Test for the national cricket team against England earlier this year.

Dhruv Jurel also spoke about his best performance with the bat in the series, which came during his second international match in Ranchi.

Jurel received his maiden call-up for the five-match Test series against England. KS Bharat was dropped from the XI after struggling to score in the first two games.

Jurel earned his Test debut during the third match in Rajkot. He scored 190 runs at an average of 63.33, with a best score of 90.

England Players Were Relaxed And Were Playing For Fun - Dhruv Jurel

Speaking to Jatin Sapru on his YouTube channel, Dhruv Jurel recalled his knock during the Ranchi Test, where India lost seven wickets for a low score.

Jurel stated that he started cautiously before James Anderson criticized his defensive play.

The wicketkeeper-batter mentioned that he opted for a more aggressive style after the sledging from Anderson.

Jurel said he wanted to maintain his positive approach and targeted Shoaib Bashir to score runs quickly.

“The next match was in Ranchi. Everything was going well, and suddenly, a flurry of wickets fell. England players were relaxed and were playing for fun. Then Anderson came to me and said, 'I've seen your videos, this is not your game.'"

"That was because I was defending a lot and taking singles. I thought of giving it back, but realised that I should wait, score a few runs and then maybe he would be quiet."

"Then I thought I should rather play positively, than take a cautious approach, and hence decided to take on Shoaib Bashir. I knew nothing could stop me if he bowled in the slot. And then I had that partnership with Kuldeep,” Jurel said.

India lost seven wickets for 177 runs on the board in the first innings. Jurel formed a crucial 76-run partnership with Kuldeep Yadav for the eighth wicket.

They helped reduce India's first-innings deficit to below 100 runs. Jurel scored 90 runs off 149 balls, including six boundaries and four sixes.

I Was Shocked Because Joe Root - Dhruv Jurel

Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, and Joe Root began sledging Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav during the match.

However, Root’s behavior surprised Dhruv Jurel, as they had been teammates at Rajasthan Royals during IPL 2023. Jurel revealed that he asked Root about the sledging.

“Anderson was all aggressive by then and was continuously sledging. Given the British accent, I did not understand half of those words. Even Bairstow and Joe Root joined. I was shocked because Root used to play with me in IPL, and I asked him, 'Why are you sledging me?' He replied: ‘We are all playing for our country now.’”

The 23-year-old was named "Player of the Match" for his batting in the Ranchi Test. Jurel is set to make his return to Test cricket for the first match of the series against Bangladesh on September 19.

He will compete with Rishabh Pant, who is also returning to the team, for a spot in the playing XI.

Also read: IND vs BAN: Dinesh Karthik leaks India's playing XI for 1st Test, only 2 spinners included