Dhruv Jurel dedicated half-century to his father: Kuldeep Yadav

Youngster Dhruv Jurel alongside Kuldeep Yadav batted brilliantly to help India post 307 runs in the first innings of the ongoing Ranchi Test against England. The hosts were reduced to 177/7 at one stage, and it was assumed that the Ben Stokes-led side is likely to take a massive lead in the first innings. However, the Uttar Pradesh boys stitched a partnership of 76 runs for the eighth wicket, which gave India some momentum to fight back.

Notably, Kuldeep got out after scoring 28 runs. However, he played his role perfectly by playing 131 deliveries in the middle. Jurel, on the other hand, went on to score 90 runs, unfortunately missing out on his maiden international ton. However, playing just his second Test match, the Agra-born was lauded by former cricketers and experts alike for his brave innings with the tail-enders by his side.

Also Read - Sunil Gavaskar praises Dhruv Jurel after his valiant knock in Ranchi Test

Meanwhile, right after completing his half-century, Jurel celebrated with a salute. Revealing the reason behind that, Kuldeep mentioned that he dedicated that to his father, who is a Kargil war veteran.

“I think his dad was in the army, so he dedicated his fifty to him. The thing about him is that if you keep speaking with him while batting, he remains calm and relaxed. I had a lot of belief in him because I had played with him previously. So, I am aware of how he bats,” Kuldeep said in a video released by BCCI.

“He plays for my state - Uttar Pradesh. So, I have seen him play. I thought he would get to his century but obviously, he played a good knock which was vital for the team,” the 29-year-old added.

Also Read: Dhruv Jurel reveals reason behind salute celebration after scoring maiden Test fifty

In the second innings, the left-arm spinner picked up four wickets as England were bundled out for 145 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up a brilliant five-for, which helped the Rohit Sharma-led side to remain in the race. Meanwhile, Kuldeep revealed that he wanted to get his five-for, but is happy with four.

“Obviously, when you pick up four wickets, you expect to complete a five-wicket haul, but four wickets were equally important. I am happy with that,” Kuldeep said.

Currently, Rohit & Co are in pursuit of the 192-run target set by the visitors. Openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal batted comfortably for eight overs on Day 3, and thus, the hosts need 152 more runs to seal the series in their favour with one more Test in Dharamsala remaining after this.