Dhruv Jurel explains how he scripted the match-winning knock against England at Ranchi

Dhruv Jurel enjoyed a memorable debut series with match-defining knocks of 90 and 39* in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi, and those two performances were enough fir him to claim the Player of the Match award as the hosts sealed the five-match series with a game to spare. Jurel approached both his innings in a sensible manner, not taking too much risks, and after the match, the 23-year old said that it was just about playing according to the situation of the match.

“I play according to the demands of the situation. The 1st innings, we needed to get runs as well, we knew we had to bat last and so any runs would be vital,” Jurel said after he received the Player of the Match award.

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In the first innings, Jurel was involved in a 76-run partnership with Kuldeep Yadav and a 40-run stand with Akash Deep, and Jurel credited the lower-order batters for their support at the other end.

“I was involved in some partnerships, so credit does go to all those who stayed and added runs. I just saw the ball and then reacted to it, not thinking too far ahead,” added the Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer.

Jurel relished the opportunity of having faced James Anderson and Mark Wood in the third Test in Rajkot, after having watched them play on TV. However, Jurel said that he kept his eyes on the ball and not the bowler while batting.

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“Felt good playing against them because I saw them on TV. Focus was on seeing the ball, not the bowler,” commented Jurel.

Jurel was involved in an unbeaten 72-run stand with Gill on Monday as India chased down a total of 192 with five wickets to spare, and the youngster said that the conversation with Gill was regarding taking it one step at a time. Jurel had come into bat with India’s score reading 120/5. “Gill and I were discussing about making small tasks. To approach the chase in sets of ten runs each,” stated Jurel.

The fifth and final Test between India and England will be played in Dharamsala from 7 March.