Jurel's Army upbringing gives him the fearless attitude: Raina

Jurel’s Army upbringing gives him the fearless attitude: Raina

Greater Noida, Feb 26 (PTI) India wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel’s Army upbringing gives him the “fearless attitude” on the field, felt former cricketer Suresh Raina, adding that the young player had put in a lot of hard work to reach this level.

Jurel scored a peerless 90 in the first innings of the ongoing fourth Test against England and then played with determination on difficult day-four pitch in Ranchi, scoring an unbeaten 39, to give India a five-wicket win and an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

“I was impressed with his (Jurel’s) wicket-keeping, he has worked really hard. He comes from an Army family, so he has that fearless attitude of never wanting to lose anything from anywhere,” said Raina about the 23-year-old Uttar Pradesh player who made his India debut in the third Test at Rajkot, scoring 46.

Jurel’s knock of 90 in Ranchi also received applause from the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who called him the next Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

“He’s (Jurel) been amazing, I have played a couple of matches with him for Uttar Pradesh. Special credit to Rohit Sharma, the way he gave chances to first Sarfaraz (Khan) and Dhruv Jurel. It is not easy to come into Test cricket and score back-to-back fifties, especially in a crucial Test match where the wicket was turning,” said Raina, who played 18 Tests, on the sidelines of the Indian Veteran Premier league (IVPL).

Sarfaraz scored back-to-back half centuries on Test debut in the third Test at Rajkot.

Raina, who was an integral part of Chennai Super Kings not so long back, said that he wants Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bangalore to break the IPL jinx and lift the trophy this season.

“I wish Virat Kohli and RCB lift the trophy. It is long overdue now, CSK won it last season too but this year I hope that the team who has never lifted the trophy should finally add one to their trophy cabinet. Virat has worked really hard and I think he deserves to win this time,” said Raina.

The 37-year-old former India cricketer also said that Kohli should be a part of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA because the team needs someone in the middle to soak the pressure.

“A blend of youth and experience will be key for India’s success in the Americas.”

“Youth and experience is really important because I played in the Caribbean in the 2010 edition, to bat on those wickets is not easy. You need someone to control the innings, he (Kohli) is the chase-master and knows how to handle pressure.

“Now we have players like (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, (Shubman) Gill, Surya (Yadav) and Rinku Singh who can back him and play fearless cricket from other end.”

Raina also praised Sameer Rizvi and backed him to do well for CSK in the upcoming IPL season.

“He is a very good player and if CSK invests in a player, we know how they work wonders with them. I have witnessed it since 2008, whether it is any Indian player or any foreigner. They (CSK) always give chances to youngsters, when MS Dhoni is there then he will help him improve his game.”

Raina is currently playing the IVPL. “It is good to be back at home playing cricket. I am happy to be a part of the league.”