It isn’t easy for a batter in Test cricket. It is the only format where bowlers have more say, hence, batting at any position comes with its own set of challenges. Be it opening the innings, playing in the middle-order or batting lower down the order, runs don’t come easily. As cliched as it sounds, it has to be earned. At the lower middle-order, a specialist batter has to farm the strike cleverly, not to expose the tail-enders, and also look for scoring opportunities. Well, Dhruv Jurel aced the art of batting with the tail on Day 3 of the fourth and penultimate Test between India and England at the JSCA International stadium, in Ranchi, on Sunday (Feb 25). 

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The day’s play kicked off with India on the backfoot. They were precariously placed at 219-7, at stumps on Day 2, trailing England’s 353 by 134 runs. The keeper-batter Jurel (30*) went to stumps accompanied by spinner Kuldeep Yadav (17*). The duo got together at 177-7 and looked comfortable to weather the storm in the last hour of Saturday evening (Feb 24). However, they had a herculean task to get India closer to England’s 353 on the next morning. Jurel trusted Kuldeep, who can handle himself with the bat, and the two stitched a priceless 76-run eighth-wicket stand. The youngster, who was the vice-captain in Yash Dhull-led India’s U-19 World Cup triumph in 2022, intelligently handled the pacers with his partner being comfortable against spin. The right-hander oozed a lot of assurance with his footwork, knowing when to go ahead and when to stay back. He anticipated James Anderson’s short balls and gave a good account of his defence. By no means was he just defending. He latched onto all scoring opportunities — targetting spin duo of Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir — with some well-timed shots, not overhitting anything. He also went the aerial route as the ball comfortably reached the stands.

Against the run of play, Kuldeep (28) was removed by Anderson as India got reduced to 253-8. Just then, Jurel was joined by debutant pacer Akash Deep. The task became tougher for the main batter to keep the scoreboard ticking as 353 looked miles away. However, the batter was up for it.

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Jurel played to the match situation with a calm head. He farmed the strike, with England captain Ben Stokes shrewdly changing the field, without demoralising Akash’s confidence and also didn’t shy away from going for the big hits at regular intervals. While he missed out on a half-century in his maiden Test, in Rajkot, he went past 50 this time but was focused on the bigger picture; to minimise the deficit. 

At times, Jurel outfoxed Stokes to take a single in the last few deliveries of an over to face the next bowler. When he probably gave up on the chance of stealing a single, he went for the big hit and succeeded. Thus, he displayed his knack for batting with the tail. If an opener gives a good account of himself, or herself, by negating the threat from the new ball, a No. 7 batter (like Jurel) gets maximum satisfaction by smartly batting with the tail and taking the score forward. Yes, he missed out on a well-deserved maiden ton, being cleaned up by a sharp turner from Hartley, but his gutsy 90 minimised England’s lead to 46. His knock lit up the mood of the Indian camp and fans. In addition, he was rightly congratulated by the opposition, umpire Rod Tucker and the Barmy Army. 

The applause gives a huge validation to Jurel. The lad can bat and bat well with the tail. He is not just a finisher for his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR) but can be a finisher for India in whites; one who knows the art of batting with the tail.

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