BENGALURU: Dhruv Jurel gave a scintillating demonstration of his technical nous with a fighting hundred, carrying India A to a respectable 255 all out after a top-order malfunction against South Africa A on the first day of the four-day match here on Thursday.
Asked to bat first, India A was in serious trouble, some of its own making, at 126 for seven, but Jurel (132 not out, 175b, 12x4, 4x6) and Kuldeep Yadav (20, 88b) milked 79 runs for a doughty eighth-wicket stand to bail it out.
Jurel’s innings stood out for its marvellous adherence to batting technique, helping him survive the vagaries of conditions, pitch and relentlessness of Protean bowlers under largely overcast skies.
His batting neither touches the vast expanses nor does it have an element of derring-do, but it’s based on stunning compactness that allows him to collect runs stealthily.
Even the six he hit off off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen over long on was not an explosive act, but more a melange of timing and precise ball placement.
Later his slog-swept six off Subrayen too was not a shot hit in anger, but testified his judgment and awareness of field setting around him.
On other occasions, he either leaned on his front-foot to smother the spin or waited late to turn the balls to on-side for risk-free singles.
The pacers Tshepo Moreki and Tiaan Van Vuuren (4/52) found steady bounce off the pitch here under overcast skies, but Jurel was quick to climb over the balls to guide them past the point fielder for boundaries.
Brief scores: India A (1st innings) 255 in 77.1 overs (D Jurel 132*, T van Vuuren 4/52) vs South Africa A