In reply to India’s mammoth target of 557 runs in the ongoing Test match in Rajkot, England suffered an early blow when their opener and first innings hero Ben Duckett was out after scoring just 4 runs. The wicket fell due to an impressive pick-up and run-out by debutant wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. The run-out came with a solid throw from Mohammed Siraj, which was expertly collected by Dhruv Jurel, who executed a semi-diving effort to dismiss Duckett.
The English batsmen, attempting to take quick singles, failed to notice Siraj’s sharp throws, and Jurel’s sharp wicket-keeping skills helped India remain positive in their aim to defend their total and take the lead in the five-match Test series. Started it. Ben Duckett, unaware of Siraj’s impending throw, started calling for a single by pushing the ball towards mid-wicket. His teammate Jack Crawley, sensing danger at the striker’s end, raised his bat to signal against the run.
However, Duckett, caught in the middle, could not step back in time as Jurel collected the ball, moved forward calmly, and uprooted the bails, ending Duckett’s innings.
Super Jurel 🦸♂️ with some 🔝glove-work 🔥👌#IDFCFirstBankTestSeries #INDvENG #BazBowled #JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com/dTlzQZXKAn
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 18, 2024
Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel, who was commentating for Jio Cinema during the series, praised Jurel’s challenging run-out effort. He emphasized the difficulty for a wicketkeeper in catching a ball dropped a few meters away and praised the young gloveman for his contribution.
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Losing wickets carelessly while chasing such a big target is not an option. For the first time in the series, Duckett and Crawley failed to establish a 50+ partnership for the first wicket, leaving England in a precarious position. The visitors are now looking towards Ollie Pope and Joe Root to steady their innings.
In the fourth and last innings of the Rajkot Test, England have scored 18 runs for the loss of two wickets before tea, while not even 10 overs have been completed. The early successes were largely attributed to Dhruv Jurel, whose impressive debut showcased his skills not only behind the stumps but also with the bat.
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In the first innings, the 22-year-old played a key role in adding valuable runs to India’s total of 445 runs. Although Jurel fell just four runs short of scoring a half-century on debut, his performance highlighted his ability as a reliable wicketkeeper-batsman. As India resumes their defence, the focus is on Pope and Root to overcome the challenging target set by the hosts.
