Dhruv Jurel scored a crucial half-century on the final day of the second India A vs Australia A unofficial Test, guiding his team to a five-wicket win at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday.
Chasing a daunting 412, India A were at 267/4 when their captain walked in. Jurel, who had struck a century in the first match, rose to the occasion again with a fluent 56 off 66 balls, laced with five fours and three sixes.
Jurel’s 115-run stand with KL Rahul turned the game decisively in India A’s favour. KL Rahul remained unbeaten on a commanding 176 to seal the 1-0 victory in the two-match series.
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The contest had swung dramatically over the course of four days. Australia A piled up 420 in their first innings before bowling India A out for 185. Dhruv Jurel’s boys hit back, dismissing the visitors for 194.
For the 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, the match capped another impressive showing. He had earlier smashed 140 in the opening Test, which ended in a run-fest draw after Australia A declared at 532/6 and India A replied with 531/7 declared.
Jurel’s form has been consistent across formats this year. On the A team’s tour of England in the summer, he amassed 227 runs at an average of 75.66, including three fifties in four innings. In the IPL, he finished as Rajasthan Royals’ third-highest run-scorer with 333 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 156.33.
India A and Australia A will now shift to white-ball cricket, with a three-match one-day series beginning September 30 at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Rajasthan Royals’ Riyan Parag and Yudhvir Singh are part of the India A squad for the one-day matches.
Alongside fellow Royal Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jurel has been selected in the India squad for the West Indies Test series, starting next week.
