Dhruv Jurel’s Heartfelt Tribute to Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid: A Testament to Belief
In a heartwarming display of gratitude, Dhruv Jurel, the emerging star of Indian cricket, expressed his heartfelt appreciation for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, whose unwavering belief in him paved the way for his selection in the Ranchi Test against England.
Jurel’s remarkable performance in the series-clinching victory has solidified his place in the hearts of cricket fans across the nation.
In the first innings, Jurel struck a career-high ninety, batting with the tail, and in the second, when the team was reeling at 120/5, he led India’s chase of 192 alongside Shubman Gill. It’s fantastic for Indian cricket that a 22-year-old player with the fortitude and maturity of a 20-Test veteran is displaying.
After winning the Ranchi Test, Jurel, who was deservedly named Player of the Match, shared a heartfelt remark on social media. Jurel was in the India team from the start, and while he had to wait for his moment, Dhruv debuted in the previous Test at Rajkot following another missed opportunity by KS Bharat.
Jurel scored a solid 46 in his first innings for India, but his true test came in Ranchi, when he more than met expectations by contributing with excellent hands to help India win. But without the support of Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma, as he succinctly summed up in a post, none of this would have been possible.
“I appreciate Rahul sir and Rohit bhaiya for having faith in this boy,” he wrote beside a fitting photo on X.
Jurel’s father faced abuse from neighbors for encouraging his son’s desire to play cricket, while his mother sold jewelry to make sure her son stayed on the straight and narrow. Eventually, Jurel fulfilled his lifelong dream of representing India in cricket. Jurel went straight to his mother after receiving his Test cap from Dinesh Karthik and touched her feet in a humble gesture, realizing how important she had been to his path to this historic moment.
And Jurel delivered when it was his turn to take the lead. Jurel’s tenacity was evident when India was struggling at 177/7 and in danger of falling far short of England’s 353 total in the first innings.
He put up a comeback combination of 77 runs with Kuldeep Yadav and, in spite of losing his partner, kept up one end of the partnership by batting wonderfully with the tail. After completing his innings, Jurel had guided India to 307, a just 46 runs short of England’s total.
With India requiring Jurel to replicate his exploits from the first innings, the 22-year-old performed even better in the second dig. Perhaps more important than the opening ninety-odd, Jurel’s undefeated score of 39 came from battling England’s potent spinners and going against his inclinations to wait his turn and secure his place. At a time when one more wicket could have really allowed England to get in, he and Gill combined for 72 unbroken runs to get India over the finish line.
The defiance of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer is expected to compel BCCI to implement a revamped pay structure and bonus for Test regulars
Ishan Kishan’s refusal to comply with the team management’s requests to play domestic cricket is allegedly the reason behind the BCCI’s upcoming new compensation structure.
Despite the BCCI’s repeated warnings, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer forgoing the Ranji Trophy to get ready for the IPL may end up being a godsend for the other Test regulars. Kishan and Iyer were the first to choose to play domestic red-ball cricket against the express orders of the Indian team administration.
While Iyer informed Mumbai that he had a back injury, which was refuted by Nitin Patel, the NCA chief head of sports science and medicine, Kishan remained in communication with the Jharkhand Cricket Association. Iyer, according to Patel, was healthy and ready to play.
Kishan hasn’t participated in a competitive cricket match since the home series against Australia in the previous year, while Iyer was dropped from the Test team despite being fit following a run of poor performance in the format.
Even more concerning to the board was the fact that this occurred only days after BCCI secretary Jay Shah sent an official letter to all the associations and its contracted players stressing the value of playing local red-ball cricket when players are well enough to do so. An Indian Express story claims that BCCI has finally made the decision to develop an updated compensation plan to compensate Test players.
