'My father said ek salute toh....' - Dhruv Jurel opens up on his salute celebration

India keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel opened up about his celebration after reaching his half-century in the ongoing fourth Test against England in Jharkhand, Ranchi. He said that his gesture after reaching the milestone was for his father, who was a Kargil war veteran. 

Dhurv Jurel was the hero of the day for India on Day 3 of the ongoing Ranchi Test. It seemed that India would be outplayed in the game after they were reduced to 177/7 in response to England’s 353 in the first innings of the game at the Jharkhand Cricket Association complex. 

When the chips were down, it was then when Dhruv Jurel stepped up for his team and bailed them out of trouble. The keeper-batter, who made his debut in Rajkot Test, made sure that he played a vital hand for a team in a tough situation, that will be remembered by many. 

Dhruv Jurel steadied the ship and along with Kuldeep Yadav made sure that England didn’t progress further on Day 2, having taken 7 wickets. The batter stood like a wall on the crease and ensured that India ended the day with no more wickers under their belt. 

Dhruv Jurel, who scored 46 runs in the Rajkot, made sure that he reached his half-century this time around. As soon as he reached the milestone, the keeper-batter came up with a unique celebration. He made a gesture of salute and caught the attention of many. 

Speaking to reporters after the game, Dhruv Jurel revealed that his father indirectly expressed his desire to see his son do something special. While recalling words of his dad, he explained: 

“My father indirectly told me yesterday ek salute to dikha de” (show me the salute once). He was a Kargil war veteran so my celebration was for him.” 

Dhruv Jurel: My father indirectly told me yesterday “ek salute to dikha de” (shoe me the salute once): He was a Kargil war veteran so my celebration was for him. pic.twitter.com/givPSx0Hb4

— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) February 25, 2024

Dhruv Jurel’s hunger to get runs didn’t stop after the half-century as he was well aware that the job was not done yet. The batter showed great composure despite being young and made sure that he took his team as close as possible to England’s total. 

With the way Dhruv Jurel batted, he looked all set for a century. However, it wasn’t meant to he as fell short of the milestone by 10 runs. The keeper-batter ended with innings of 90 runs off 149 balls and also smashed 6 fours and 4 sixes in his innings. 

Not at all disappointed to miss the hundred – Dhruv Jurel 

Dhurv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav added 76 runs partnership for the 8th wicket. The understanding between the duo was one of the main highlights of their stand. The duo responded well to each other and played an instrumental role for the team. 

Dhurv Jurel believes that being from the same state was one of the main reasons behind his understanding with Kuldeep Yadav. The keeper-batter also said that he isn’t disappointed about missing the century as all he wants to see is the team lifting the trophy. He added: 

“Both me and Kuldeep come from UP, so understanding is there. Was helpful. I am not at all disappointed to miss the hundred, want the team to lift the trophy!”

After India got out for 307 runs, the bowlers came out with a sensational performance and bundled out England for just 145 runs, setting themselves a target of 192 runs to chase. In the reply, Rohit Sharma (24*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (16*) added 40 runs and ended Day 3 on high.