Jurel, in the land of MS Dhoni, hogged the limelight on Sunday with his valiant knock of 90 that helped India remain in the contest against England.
Although the talk around each match pertained to India featuring an inexperienced batting lineup against a full-strength England side, these young players have stood out throughout the series. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been a constant with his tally of over 600 runs in the contest, which includes two double tons. Sarfaraz Khan stepped up on debut in Rajkot. And in Ranchi, it was a Dhruv Jurel show, where the young wicketkeeper-batter, in the land of MS Dhoni, hogged the limelight with his valiant knock of 90 that helped India remain in the contest against England. However, while world cricket went ga-ga for the youngster’s stellar effort on a tricky track, former India cricketer Virender Sehwag made a stirring comment, pointing out double standards over “media hype” around these players.
Virender Sehwag makes a stirring comment on Dhruv Jurel’s knock against England
Jurel’s maiden half-century score en route to a knock of 90, where a valiant Kuldeep Yadav ably assisted him in a 76-run stand, helped India reduce the first-innings deficit of 134, at the start of Day 3 at the JSCA International Stadium, to just 46 runs.
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India legends Sunil Gavaskar and Anil Kumble sparked Dhoni comparisons, while fellow former cricketers from India hailed his knock against the England spinners on a track that produced uneven bounce. Sehwag, too, was all praise for the right-hander on social media before pointing out that the likes of Jurel and Akash Deep, who picked up three wickets with the new ball on Day 1 of the match, did not get equal amount of hype over their performance as some of the other players, the names of whom he did not reveal.
“No media hype, no drama, just some outstanding skills and quietly showed great temperament in a very difficult situation. Very Well done Dhruv Jurel. Best wishes,” he said.
“Not to degrade or demean anyone, but hype should be on performance and be equal. Some guys have bowled brilliantly, some have batted exceptionally but haven’t got the hype they deserve. Akash Deep was outstanding here, Yashasvi has been brilliant through the series and so was Sarfaraz at Rajkot and Dhruv Jurel in all his opportunities. Hype sabko karo.”
Sehwag also reckoned that Kuldeep Yadav, who played a key role in India’s Rajkot Test win and also picked up four wickets in England’s second innings in Ranchi, has not been hyped enough. The India great feels that the chinaman deserves more credit than he gets.
“When it comes to hype, one of the least hyped guys is Kuldeep Yadav. Been exceptional for many years, but never got a online fan club or people to hype him as the next big thing. Deserves a lot more credit and hype than he gets,” he tweeted.
After Jurel’s heroics saw England grab only a 46-run lead in the fourth Test, Indian spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep and Ravindra Jadeja reduced the visitors to eight down before the start of the final hour on Day 3.
