Dhruv Jurel had a quiet opener in Chennai, yet four nights later in Ahmedabad he was everywhere. First the bat: 75 from 42 balls, five fours, five sixes, the bulk of Rajasthan Royals’ 192 for 5. Then the thinking cap: polite but firm suggestions on angles, overs and match-ups that ended up deciding a six-run result over Gujarat Titans.
Royals looked brisk from ball one. Yashasvi Jaiswal and the uncapped Vaibhav Sooryavanshi rattled up 70 in 38 deliveries. Jaiswal, 36 off 20 in that surge, eased off once Jurel walked in at No.3, adding a steadier 19 off the next 16 while Jurel found his timing almost instantly. The pair put on 56 in 37, the left-right combination forcing Titans’ quicks into awkward lines.
“He assessed the conditions, he allowed Jaiswal to sort of continue the partnership, and then, once he got in, he took over. Great knock,” Aaron Finch said on TimeOut.
Ambati Rayudu, already pleased to see Jurel promoted this season, felt vindicated. “I think he is quite under-rated,” Rayudu noted. “He has been an exceptional talent in Indian cricket for two or three years now, and he’s not talked about much. And here he is, playing against good quality fast bowling, and he’s been so comfortable. The kind of shots he has played [are] so good on the eye. He’s a proper talent.”
Gujarat were still in the chase at 136 for 3 after 15 overs. That is where Jurel’s off-the-cuff field meeting with Ravi Bishnoi proved handy. The leg-spinner, mindful of one boundary stretching 77 metres, served an over of googlies at left-handers B Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar. Both holed out.
“That was my tactic, which I had discussed with the team and with Dhruv,” Bishnoi said after collecting 4 for 29 and the player-of-the-match plaque.
The finish was tighter than it needed to be: 15 required from 12, six wickets in hand. Captain Riyan Parag initially pencilled in Tushar Deshpande for the 19th, Jofra Archer for the last. Jurel whispered a different order.
“Riyan changed his mind,” Archer told the host broadcaster. “He [Deshpande] was going to bowl the 19th and I was going to bowl the last. Everything that could have gone right in the field went right and I am proud of the boys.”
Parag later confirmed the switch. “I was actually going to switch up the order,” he said. “So, credit to Dhruv Jurel for that. He asked me to go Jofra on the 19th and the plan was because it was a three-ball difference – it was 15 off 12 – and I just wanted to take a chance. Go as fast as possible and as aggressive as possible.”
Archer’s pace conceded only six; Deshpande defended nine. Royals breathe, Titans rue, and an “exceptional talent” has a night to remember – with bat and brain alike.
