Team India’s middle-order batter Dhruv Jurel, who ended his lean patch with an excellent half-century in the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, has asserted that he was never under pressure.
Moreover, Jurel also credited the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill for giving him enough role clarity and confidence during his tough phase. Notably, Jurel was without a half-century in his last seven innings.
“There was, honestly, no pressure. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to represent India. That’s the only privilege that I play for,” Jurel said in the post-day press conference.
“So whenever I speak to the captain or head coach, they always tell me what to do, what the situation is. So, tell me to play accordingly. There is no personal milestone that I look for before batting. I just go there and do what the team needs,” he added.
The 25-year-old had played at the same venue for India A in the lead-up to the Test series, and said that experience helped him get a better understanding of the conditions.
“We came here 10 days before. We practised in Colombo and before that played for India A, and we had 4-5 sessions. It’s all about batting on these kinds of surfaces as much as I can. It improves my batting, knows the environment, and knows the situation. So it’s really helpful,” he asserted.
Furthermore, Jurel stated that the plan was to keep adding runs without taking unnecessary risks. Interestingly, Jurel went on to stitch a 55-run stand for the seventh wicket with Manav Suthar.
“You can say that the plan was that we can make as many runs as possible. The plan was not that from the ball once, we are going bonkers.
“The plan was that we can make as many runs as possible by playing sensible cricket and make some good partnerships at the lower order,” he concluded.
