Watch: At Ranchi, Indian wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel made 90 to bring India to within 46 of England’s first-innings score of 353.
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.
Playing in only his second Test match, Dhruv Jurel walked out at 161-5 in response to England’s 353, and soon saw his team slip to 177-7. With still over an hour left on the second day, it seemed England might begin their second innings before stumps.
Instead, Jurel played out time in the company of Kuldeep Yadav, and saw India to 219-7 by stumps. He continued in the second morning, stretching the partnership with Kuldeep to 76, and adding another 40 for the ninth wicket with debutant Akash Deep.
By the time Tom Hartley bowled Jurel for 90 – his second-highest score in first-class cricket – he had helped India reach 307: their first-innings deficit of 46 was about a hundred fewer than what it had threatened to be at one point.
Jurel hit four sixes in all, including a hit over long-off off Shoaib Bashir on the second evening. On the third morning, he dispatched Bashir over the sightscreen, and smashed two over-boundaries over mid-wicket off Hartley and Bashir.
At the time of writing, England are 97-3 with Zak Crawley (50) and Jonny Bairstow (21) at the crease. They lead by 143 runs.
