Former Indian opening batter Aakash Chopra has heaped praise on Dhruv Jurel, who scored an exceptional century batting at No. 7 in the second Test against Sri Lanka, which is currently underway in Colombo.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra showered praise on Jurel for understanding the game very well and putting his life for the country. Notably, Jurel scored an unbeaten 115 off 177 balls in India’s first-innings total of 503/9 declared.
“Dhruv Jurel should be spoken about first. I like the boy a lot because he has got something. He fights and plays with heart. He is extremely humble. Comes across as someone who is a student of the game. He understands the game very well. Gives you the feeling that he would put his life for the country. So, I really, really like him,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“Scoring a hundred at No. 7, he has made one, and I think Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) has made two. Otherwise, who scores a hundred at No. 7? He has done that. He is a ‘Jai Jawan’ guy. His father has been a Kargil warrior,” he added.
On the other hand, former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad also revealed that Jurel, after scoring his century, dedicated it to the armed forces and farmers. He went on to add that he played proper cricketing shots, without even one slog shot.
“He is dedicating that to Jai Jawan, Jai Kisaan, because he comes from that background. His father was in the army. However, in the 115-run knock he played, his defence was solid, and his body was behind the ball. He played proper cricketing shots,” Prasad said on Sony Sports.
“He didn’t hit even one slog. Be it the pull, the back-foot punches he was hitting toward midwicket or square leg, or the use of feet, it was all copybook style. It was a total contrast when he was playing with Rishabh Pant. Pant was pretty aggressive and had an unorthodox game style. Jurel coming and playing such an innings at No. 7 was just wonderful,” Prasad noted
