"The most impressive aspect..." - Parthiv Patel explains the best quality of debutant Dhruv Jurel

In a compelling turn of events at Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah Stadium, the spotlight fell on young Indian wicketkeeper-middle order batsman Dhruv Jurel as he made his debut in the all-important 3rd of a 5-match Test series against England. Stepping into the shoes of KS Bharat, Jurel grabbed the opportunity with both hands, and former India wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel who earned 25 Test caps, has explained the best quality about him.

Despite falling agonizingly short of what could have been a memorable half-century on debut, Dhruv Jurel’s innings resonated with promise and resilience. Facing the formidable challenge of England’s spinners which also consists of 2 pacers for the first time in the series – Mark Wood and James Anderson, he exhibited commendable technique and poise at the crease, negotiating the turning ball with confidence and maturity.

Jurel came onto the bat at a crucial juncture of the game as he stood for a dependable partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin. His knock was even more special for the way he adapted to the pressure and played according to the merit. With a mix of elegant strokes and calculated aggression, he notched up a commendable 46 runs off 104 deliveries with two crisply struck fours and three towering sixes.

However, fate intervened as a thick edge off the bowling of England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed found its way into the safe hands of Ben Foakes, denying Dhruv Jurel of what could have been a fairy-tale debut half-century. Despite the disappointment of missing out on a significant milestone, Jurel’s performance hinted at a bright future ahead in Indian cricket.

His ability to handle spin bowling with maturity and his natural batting flair provides a promising glimpse into what lies ahead for the talented youngster. In the absence of some key and experienced players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer among others, it could well prove to be a perfect chance for Dhruv Jurel to start cementing his spot.

“He seems to trust his defense” – Parthiv Patel opines on Dhruv Jurel’s main strength

While commentating on Jio Cinema, Parthiv Patel explained that Dhruv Jurel has immense faith in his defensive stroke play and appreciated him for not going with hard hands to play his shots. Patel noted that Jurel doesn’t look to be in any such hurry to get over the ball as he waits patiently for the ball to come.

The former wicket-keeper batsman further explained that Jurel dealt very smartly with England pacer Mark Wood and also praised him for showing a good range of shots.

“Ashwin has been playing for a long time. But, I was very impressed with the way Dhruv Jurel batter. He took his time, he looked assured, he seems to trust his defense, he is not playing with hard hands and he is allowing the ball to come to him,” Parthiv Patel said via Jio Cinema.

“The most impressive aspect of his batting in the first session was the way he handled Mark Wood. He showed he is capable of playing pace in different ways. At the start he was cautious, but when the fielder was not positioned behind the square, we saw the upper cut come out.” – Parthiv Patel concluded.