In Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Dhruv Jurel grabbed the spotlight on day two of India’s first Test against West Indies, smashing his maiden Test century and becoming just the 12th Indian wicketkeeper to reach the mark.
The 24-year-old stayed cool under pressure after falling short at 99 against England last year. Facing a spinning delivery from West Indies captain Roston Chase, Jurel whipped the ball past mid-on for a boundary to hit 100 in his sixth Test. He celebrated with a quirky move—holding his bat straight up and shifting it left—leaving fans puzzled but cheering wildly. The Indian dressing room erupted in applause, and teammate Ravindra Jadeja grinned from the other end, clapping enthusiastically.
Jurel joined an elite club as the fifth Indian wicketkeeper to score his first Test ton against West Indies, alongside Vijay Manjrekar, Farokh Engineer, Ajay Ratra, and Wriddhiman Saha. This marked the third century by an Indian designated wicketkeeper in 2025 alone, India’s best in any calendar year and tied for second globally, behind South Africa’s four in 2013.
Jurel kept the pressure on late in the day, unleashing sweeps, cuts, drives, and even a massive six straight down the ground. He fell soon after, edging a ball from debutant spinner Khary Pierre to Shai Hope for his first Test wicket. As Jurel walked off to warm applause from the sparse crowd, the 34-year-old Pierre punched the air in excitement.
Jurel had built a solid 206-run partnership with Jadeja before his dismissal. The world’s top-ranked Test all-rounder stayed calm and fired up his innings, occasionally stepping out to launch big hits. He nudged a single to reach his own century, pulling off his signature bat-as-sword celebration. This made it the third time in 2025 that three Indian batters hit tons in the same Test innings.
Jadeja powered five sixes off West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican—matching the second-most by an Indian batter against a single bowler in Tests. Only MS Dhoni’s six off Dave Mohammed in 2006 tops that. India closed the day strong at 448 for five in 128 overs, holding a commanding 286-run lead over West Indies.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
