Dhruv Jurel’s hundred carries India A to 255 after top-order failure against South Africa A

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 were in serious trouble, some of their own making, at 126 for seven, but Jurel (132 not out, 175b, 12x4, 4x6) and Kuldeep Yadav (20, 87b) milked 79 runs for a doughty eighth-wicket stand to bail them 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.

Jurel flicked when the SA bowlers slanted the balls onto his pads, and pulled out drives when they pitched up to him.

On the day, his initial movement and footwork were so decisive that he seldom got stuck in no-man’s land playing the shots.

The only time he looked awful at the crease was when he attempted a lap shot in vain off Van Vuuren.

Soon the 24-year-old fetched his fourth first-class hundred with a single off Van Vuuren, much to the delight of his teammates and a few spectators who hung around the periphery of BCCI Centre of Excellence grounds.

It was also his third hundred in the last seven innings after going past three digits against Australia A at Lucknow and the West Indies at Ahmedabad.

Jurel has an equally unflappable companion in Kuldeep, who was dropped on four, in his rescue mission, as they batted 124 minutes and 173 balls across two sessions to thwart the visitors’ advance of.

He had a slight collision with SA wicketkeeper Connor Esterhuizen that required a medical check-up, and that was the lone discomforting moment during his long stay, until a mix-up with Jurel resulted in his run out.

Their partnership unfortunately did not have any top-order reflection as Sai Sudharsan (17, 52b), KL Rahul (19 off 40) and skipper Rishabh Pant (24 off 20) got out after getting starts.

Sudharsan was pinned on the back foot by Subrayen with a quicker one and Rahul’s drive off Van Vuuren ended in the big gloves of Esterhuizen.

Pant was all aggression but the desire to dominate Moreki after getting hit on his left thumb forced him to slap the pacer straight to Marques Ackermann at mid-off.

Opener Abhimanyu Easwaran did not even get a start, as he played all over an incoming delivery from Van Vuuren to be caught in front, and Devdutt Padikkal snicked the left-armer to Esterhuizen as India A withered quickly.