Dhruv Jurel got his maiden IPL fifty in a match-winning unbeaten knock against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday.
Having been silent with the bat throughout IPL 2024, Dhruv Jurel finally showcased why he is regarded as an upcoming star for Team India. On Saturday, Jurel smacked an unbeaten knock of 52 runs off 34 balls, packed with five fours and two sixes, as Rajasthan Royals successfully chased down a target of 197 runs, reaching 199/3 in 19 overs.
Dhruv Jurel shares a moment with his family.
The 23-year-stitched together a match-winning partnership with captain Sanju Samson, who also remained unbeaten with a knock of 71 runs off 33 balls, including seven fours and four sixes.
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Unlike previous fixtures this season, Jurel was promoted up the order against LSG, and he justified the decision with a decisive knock which saw RR keep their unbeaten run intact.
It was also Jurel’s maiden IPL fifty and after the match, he was seen celebrating it with his family, who came to the field. IPL posted a video of the moment on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Here is the video:
After the match, Jurel was also asked about his salute celebration. He revealed that it was dedicated to his father, who was in the army earlier. “I always play for my papa, I did so during the Test match as well. He was then in the army, he was there today and that was for him,” he said.
Opening up on his match-winning knock, he said, “I just wanted to finish the match whenever I got a chance ( during batting). It’s always a blessing or curse (playing in the middle-order), I just wanted to stay until the end and finish the game for my team. I will have to practice, in the batting PP, you have just two fielders outside the ring, during the middle-overs, you’ll need to find the gaps and get the big hits going as there are 5 fielders in the deep, that’s what I was looking at. I started well, but my shots went straight to the fielders. Sanju then told me to calm down, don’t go too hard, take my time and then I got 20 runs in an over and that got me going.”
