Focused on playing straight and batting long: Dhruv Jurel

After compiling a resilient 46 on debut, Dhruv Jurel backed up his efforts with an even more impressive knock in his second Test, as the 23-year-old struck a near-flawless 90 to help India stage a resounding comeback on Day 3 of the Ranchi Test.

Jurel walked into bat under extreme pressure, with India 177/7 at one stage, still 176 adrift of England’s first innings total, but he absorbed pressure and played an ice-cold knock to eventually reduce the deficit to just 46.

Jurel, on the day, batted with a control percentage of 90.6%, and a hallmark of his innings was how he exclusively played straight, shutting down run-scoring options square of the wicket. Remarkably, less than 10% of Jurel’s runs came square of the wicket, with the right-hander amassing almost all his runs in front of square.

Post stumps on the third day, the 23-year-old revealed that he consciously opted to play straight due to the variable bounce on the surface.

“I noticed that the wicket has very little bounce. So I felt like it was better to not look to score runs square of the wicket. I made a conscious decision to play as straight as possible,” Jurel said post Day 3.

In terms of his plan, the right-hander revealed that he was focused on one thing, and one thing only, which was to bat long.

“Just watch the ball and play. The longer you bat, the better (for the team),” he answered, when asked what his plan was, when he walked out to the middle.

“Naturally I’m an aggressive batter. You would have seen me bat in the IPL that way as well. There the situation demands me to be aggressive. The situation here was different: it demanded me to bat long and bat risk-free. So all I focused on was spending time in the middle.”

Both in Rajkot and now here in Ranchi, Jurel has batted with bowlers and tail-enders, often stitching long partnerships. In the first innings of this Test, he added 76 runs for the eighth wicket with Kuldeep Yadav, and then after that added 40 runs for the ninth wicket with debutant Akash Deep. 

What’s Jurel’s plan while batting with the bowlers? How does he manage to stitch long partnerships?

“I didn’t have a plan as such. I ensured to give a lot of confidence and put a lot of faith on the bowlers,” Jurel said.

“I kept reminding them that they can bat. It ended up working out really well in the end. They are all decent batters who have done well in the IPL in the years gone by.”

Two innings in, Jurel has amassed 136 runs in 2 innings. It’s the second-best tally for an Indian wicket-keeper after two Test innings (all time). 

The 23-year-old revealed ‘visualization’ and ‘manifestation’ are two things that are vital to his success.

“Hard work is extremely important. I’m a big believer in visualization and manifestation. Generally, weeks in advance, I like to analyze the opposition bowling line-up. I see what I can do, how I can score. I visualize all these scenarios,” Jurel revealed.

What exactly does he visualize?

“Who the bowlers are. Where they bowl. Where my scoring areas are. Who I can take on.”

Jurel also admitted that it’s been certainly ‘challenging’ to keep to the likes of Ashwin and Jadeja, but asserted that he’s embraced the challenge he’s been asked to get through.

“They are world-class bowlers. And everyone has their own bowling styles. It’s a bit difficult, but I like taking on new challenges; they’re fun,” Jurel said.