Dhruv Jurel delivered one of the finest knocks of the Vijay Hazare Trophy season as Uttar Pradesh registered a commanding victory over Baroda in their Elite Group fixture. The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 160 off 101 balls, producing a high-class blend of power and composure to give a dominant performance and also played a crucial role in the middle order.
Jurel came into bat in the middle and controlled the innings. He rotated the strike with ease before shifting gears and also dismantled Baroda’s bowling attack with clean striking. His knock consisted of 15 boundaries and 8 towering sixes; he played the knock with a strike rate of 158.42.
Who is Dhruv Jurel? The new hero of Uttar Pradesh
Dhruv Jurel the right-handed wicketkeeper-batter from Agra, Uttar Pradesh and one of India's young wicket-keeper prodigies rose through the ranks after captaining India’s Under-19 side to the Asia Cup win in 2019 and impressed with composure beyond his years. His father was a Kargil War Veteran and was against sports. Jurel continued to play by keeping it a secret. Consistent performances for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket highlighted his ability to absorb pressure and accelerate when required.
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Jurel’s breakthrough came with impactful Test innings on debut in 2024, where his counterattacking temperament and tidy glovework stood out in challenging conditions. Rajasthan Royals recognised his potential and signed him on their side in 2023. His stint with the Rajasthan Royals further sharpened his finishing skills and match awareness. Known for resilience, sound technique, and adaptability across formats, Jurel is viewed as a long-term wicketkeeping option for India’s evolving batting core.
Jurel’s century and team game helped UP
Jurel’s 160 was his career best List A performance, not only that Uttar Pradesh's middle order chipped in with brisk runs, ensuring the run rate stayed consistently high through the final overs. The UP captain Rinku Singh formed a 131 run Partnerships around Jurel, contributing 63 runs in 67 balls.
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The new CSK prodigy, Prashant Veer, scored 35 runs in 21 balls and provided the late acceleration. Baroda’s bowlers struggled to stop the UP players from building partnerships and also slipped runs, particularly in the death overs, where the scoring rate spiked sharply.
In reply, the Baroda gave a tight performance but fell short of 54 runs. The openers had a good start, but remained unable to convert. After that, their top order collapsed, and captain Krunal Pandya made 82 runs in the middle. A brisk innings from Vishnu Solanki and Ajith Seth helped Baroda reduce the net run rate margin.
As of now, Dhurv Jurel stands in the second position in the highest run scorer list, and his team is standing in the first position with 12 points in the elite group B.
