India A captain Dhruv Jurel has scored a century against New Zealand A in the unofficial Test match at Christchurch, bouncing back strongly after a poor first Test. Jurel was unbeaten on 99 at the end of the first day at Hagley Oval, and completed his hundred with two runs off the third ball of the second day.
The 25-year-old right-handed batter's century is his eighth in first-class cricket. He was dismissed for 105 in the match, batting at No. 5, after facing 171 balls and hitting 11 fours and three sixes.
First-Test failure behind him
Jurel had failed in both innings of the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A, scoring one run in the first innings and two in the second. The century in the second Test was therefore an important response, and it came after he had already shown form on the Sri Lanka tour, where he scored a fifty and a century in two matches.
Jurel has become an important batter for India in Test cricket. He has played 12 Tests for India so far, scoring 651 runs at an average of 40.68, including two centuries. He has also played four T20 internationals, though he has scored only 12 runs in three innings in that format.
Akash Deep support takes India A to 346
India A were in trouble at 137 for five, but still managed to post 346 on the board before being bowled out in the first session of the second day. Jurel added 75 runs for the eighth wicket with Akash Deep, a partnership that pulled India A out of trouble.
Right-arm fast bowler Akash Deep scored a half-century himself, making 68 runs from 116 balls before becoming the last batter to be dismissed. For New Zealand A, fast bowler Fraser Sheat took the most wickets with four, while Brett Randell and Jarrod McKay picked up two wickets each.
The century will strengthen Jurel's case as a key Test batter for India, and the first-innings total gives India A a strong position in the second unofficial Test at Christchurch.
