IND A vs NZ A, 2nd TestThe second four-day match between the India 'A' and New Zealand 'A' teams is currently underway in Christchurch. Batting first in this red-ball cricket match, India 'A' posted 346 runs in their first innings. Captain Dhruv Jurel and lower-order batter Akash Deep played pivotal roles in helping the team reach this total.
Acting as a shield during a challenging phase, Dhruv Jurel turned the tide of the match over the course of four hours, a period during which he also notched up a century. Meanwhile, Akash Deep recorded the highest score of his first-class career in this match against New Zealand 'A'
Dhruv Jurel hits his 8th century
Dhruv Jurel completed his century as soon as he scored his first run on the second day of the match. He had remained unbeaten on 99 at the end of the first day's play. The India A captain scored 105 runs off 171 balls, an innings that included 11 fours and 3 sixes. This marks his 8th century in first-class cricket.
How did the course of the match change in 4 hours?
What makes Dhruv Jurel’s century even more special is the 4 hours he spent at the crease. Jurel batted for a total of 4 hours and 7 minutes, scoring 105 runs. But during this time, he also achieved something else—he helped India A escape the precarious trap set by New Zealand A. By "trap," we refer to the dire situation the team was in when Jurel arrived at the crease.
India A was struggling even to reach the 200-run mark, having already lost 5 wickets for just 137 runs. In such a scenario, Dhruv Jurel not only held down one end of the pitch but, over the course of those 4 hours and 7 minutes, forged two partnerships that completely shifted the momentum of the match.
Dhruv Jurel, alongside Manav Suthar, stitched together a 62-run partnership for the 7th wicket off 97 balls, with Jurel contributing 39 runs off 51 deliveries. Following Suthar’s dismissal, Jurel forged an even more significant partnership for the 8th wicket with Akash Deep. The pair added 75 runs off 142 balls, with Jurel accounting for 49 of those runs off 70 balls.
Akash Deep records his highest score
While Dhruv Jurel turned the tide of the match with his century and two crucial partnerships, Akash Deep scripted the highest-scoring innings of his first-class career. Batting at number 9 in the first innings against New Zealand A, he scored 68 runs off 116 balls, an effort that included 10 fours and 2 sixes. Prior to this, Akash Deep’s highest score in red-ball cricket stood at 66 runs.
