Young Indian batter-wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel’s performance in the IND vs ENG 4th Test has left former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly deeply impressed. However, Ganguly has refrained from comparing Jurel to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying it took Dhoni 15 years to earn his name and urged the over enthusiasts comparing Jurel to Dhoni to let Jurel play.
Jurel shone in Dhoni’s hometown to help India clinch the series-deciding victory in the IND vs ENG 4th Test. Jurel, playing only the second Test match of his career, scored important runs for India in both innings of the Test. It led to many former cricketers comparing Jurel with the World Cup winning skipper. Many, including Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar said Jurel seemed like the second coming of Dhoni.
Jurel played a decent innings of 46 on his Test debut in the IND vs ENG 3rd Test. However, he came of age in the IND vs ENG 4th Test, scoring a gritty 90 runs in the first innings when India were in a spot of bother. With the team needing runs in the 4th innings, Jurel played another fantastic innings of 39 not out to bring the match home and clinch the series.
Ganguly told RevSportz that even though he could see some similarities between the two, Dhoni is in a completely different league. The former president of the BCCI stated that Jurel ought to be permitted to play because Dhoni took a while to get to this level.
“Dhruv Jurel… what a Test match he had under pressure on a difficult wicket. There is huge talent and if you miss it and you go back down in the ladder, it will be very hard to come back. MS Dhoni is in a different league. Jurel has talent; there’s no doubt about it. But it took MS Dhoni 20 years to be MS Dhoni. Rather 15 years for Dhoni to be Dhoni. So let him [Jurel] play. Jurel’s ability to play spin, pace and most importantly to perform under pressure. That’s what you look for in a youngster,” Ganguly said.
