'I was very comfortable batting with him...' Dhruv Jurel on his match-saving partnershing with Kuldeep Yadav

Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav, India’s two star performers on Day 3 of the fourth Test against England, opened up on their bonding and camaraderie both on and off the field. Jurel and Kuldeep, both from Uttar Pradesh, also talked about their vital partnership in the first innings of the match, currently being played at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video of their interaction on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. “Kuldeep Yadav Dhruv Jurel. A bond beyond landmarks,” read the post.

“His father is in the Army, so he dedicated his fifty to his father. The thing about him is if you keep speaking with him, he remains calm and relaxed. I had a lot of belief in him since I've played with him before and I know how he bats,” Kuldeep said.

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“I thought he'll complete the hundred. But obviously he played a very good knock and that was important for the team. His maiden hundred could be in the next game or the one after that,” he added.

Starting the third day’s play at 219/7, India posted 307 in the first innings. Jurel and Kuldeep stitched a solid partnership of 76 runs to keep the hosts alive in the game. While Kuldeep was dismissed for 28, Jurel went on to slam his maiden international half century. The India wicketkeeper departed having produced a fine knock of 90 off 149 balls.

Speaking about his knock, Jurel revealed that he was quite comfortable batting with Kuldeep. “The most important thing was that I was very comfortable batting with him [Kuldeep]. He is also from Uttar Pradesh and so am I. I wasn't thinking about milestones when I was batting. I was only thinking about staying in the middle for as long as possible, which will be beneficial for the team. This is my first series for India and I wish to win the series with the team,” said Jurel.

After the partnership, Kuldeep excelled with the ball as well. The left-arm spinner picked up four wickets to bowl out England for 145. R Ashwin was also in sublime form as he registered a five-wicket haul. The visitors’ batting unit failed miserably in the second innings as they could only set up a target of 192 for India.