Team India’s No. 7 batter Dhruv Jurel has asserted that batting with Rishabh Pant is a valuable experience, adding that he doesn’t try to imitate the dashing batter. The duo stitched a 112-run partnership off 152 balls to put India in the driver’s seat in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
While Pant scored 63 runs off 89 balls with six fours and two sixes, Jurel went on to score an unbeaten 115 off 117 balls with nine fours and two sixes. Speaking at the post-day press conference, Jurel said he turns to Pant for guidance when situations tighten.
“We all know Pant is such a terrific player and what he has done for India in Australia and England. So, whenever he is in, I only seek his advice, because he has so much experience. So, I always ask him for advice as, what I should do in a particular situation,” Jurel said.
“As you can see, Test cricket has different ways of playing, and it makes the game beautiful. When you play with Pant, it’s a very terrific experience. I can’t play like him, the way he has been playing since childhood,” he added.
“My game plan is to see which bowler should I take down, which spell should I play, and I always ask Pant because he is a wicketkeeper, I am a wicketkeeper, and we play in the middle order, so it’s a very good experience,” he noted.
For the unversed, Pant suffered a blow to his right shoulder on Day 1 of the second Test, prompting him to retire hurt. However, he opted to return to bat on Day 2. Interestingly, Jurel took over behind the stumps when India came out to field.
“Right now, he got a hit on his right shoulder, and we are closely monitoring him. Today I did wicketkeeping, because his shoulder was a little bad. Hopefully, I think he will be fit tomorrow,” Jurel said
