India's wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel displayed sharp cricketing instinct on the first day of the Dharamsala Test, predicting England batter Ollie Pope's dismissal.
Pope struggled against spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav on a turning pitch at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium. Despite the pressure, he held firm until the 26th over, when he attempted to attack a well-flighted delivery from Kuldeep.
Just before the delivery, Jurel was heard on the stump microphone warning Kuldeep, "Badhega ye aage, badhega aage (He will come forward, he will come forward)." Prophetically, Pope did step out, leading to his dismissal by stumping.
Following his impressive performance in Ranchi, where he earned Player of the Match honors in India's five-wicket victory, Dhruv Jurel has drawn comparisons with the legendary MS Dhoni. The youngster displayed shades of the great gloveman when he accurately predicted Ollie Pope's movement. Dhoni, renowned for his strategic guidance to bowlers from behind the stumps during his playing days, frequently influenced India's success.
Former India captain Anil Kumble was among those impressed, praising Jurel's composure under pressure and batting technique.
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When asked about the possibility of retaining Jurel as the keeper-batsman once Rishabh Pant returns to the Test side, Kumble expressed confidence in the youngster. He stated that Jurel possesses all the necessary credentials to emulate Dhoni's records.
“Oh yes, there’s Rishabh Pant. We don’t know of course when he comes, comes back whenever that happens. Sooner hopefully for Rishabh. But otherwise, yes, he certainly has all the credentials to get to where MS (Dhoni) reached in his career. But he’s shown that he’s not just shown the temperament of his technique to defence but even when he’s attacking. Even in that first innings he was very assured he went after and then hit those big sixes when he was batting with the tail and hats off even behind the stumps,” Kumble had told Jio Cinema.
Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle also praised Jurel, stating “England will be very disappointed at Pope's approach to playing spin. And good on Jurel to call the fact that he was likely to jump out. And for us, in the commentary box, reminder that it is always good practice to keep the stump mic up.”
Netizens also praised Jurel's wicketkeeping skills. Look at what they said.
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