If its something with the wicketkeepers in India or some Dhruv Jurel magic, is still unknown; but again, it is the keeper batter, rather Dhruv Jurel, who dragged India A, if not to a respectable score, but 159 runs before leaving the field, with India stopping at 161 all out. When the entire team struggled to cross the double digit, Dhruv scored 80 runs. He batted more than 100 balls, which again looked like a dream for the India A squad on the tricky MCG pitch. Dhruv Jurel, who failed to struggle unlike the team, got a complement from an Australian commentator, "There's a lot of Virat Kohli's mannerisms in this young man Dhruv Jurel." Its big! Its really big! Dhruv Jurel, if not overlooked, but a substitute keeper who gets called only to fill spaces. He travelled with the team in the New Zealand series but got the opportunity to fill the boots of Rishabh Pant behind, and not in front of the wickets. In the first test, Rishabh Pant left the field on day two after a ball came and hit his previously operated knee while keeping. Dhruv was then called to keep the wickets. Under pressure innings while playing in australia for the first time DHRUV JUREL REMEMBER THE NAME pic.twitter.com/H8NmXCrMlT — Rahul (@calmmLucario) November 7, 2024 But is that all about Dhruv Jurel? Dhruv Jurel came to the limelight after his rampant 15-ball 32 runs when he walked in as a substitute for the Rajasthan Royals in his debut IPL game. RR never doubted him later and retained him for the 2025 season. Neither the Indian selectors doubted him, as he got a call for the India A team, touring South Africa, having experience of just 12 first-class matches. Two games against SA A and a Ranji match century against the newbie Nagaland got him the spot in the "Virat aur Rohit wali" senior team. Read: KL Rahul Falls Early, Dhruv Jurel Steady for India A This man can handle pressure Remember when Rahul Dravid, known for his calm demeanor, walked down to give a tight hug to Dhruv and his partner Shubman Gill at Ranchi against England! Again, a top order collapse, with just Yashasvi Jaiswal standing firm in the first inning and Rohit Sharma in the second; it was Dhruv who anchored the team with a 149-ball 90-run inning in the first and a match-winning 39 runs not out in the second. He was awarded the man-of-the-match award for the right reason. So far he had played 3 tests, having Ranchi's 90 as his highest score. The 46 runs that came at Rajkot were a teaser of his capabilities. His compact, no-movement-wasted style while defending speed, letting the ball come to him, while dropping the bat into the line, elbows-out strut down the pitch to flick away a bit of loose turf—wasn't that enough to call it a sound technique? India A has Abhimanyu Eswaran, a man who shone in the domestics, his bat asked repeated questions to the selectors. But is Dhruv short of doing so? In mid-March, Dhruv was awarded the Group C BCCI Central Contract, right after concluding the test series, and is now a "permanent reserve" in the senior team. What happened today at MCG is what players like Dhruv prepare for. A player, coming in the middle of a collapsed team, plays more than 100 balls on a tricky pitch when the rest fail to do so, scores 80 runs worth a century, watches the team fumble on the other side, leaves assuring the management, "I'm there whenever you need me."