Before he got his Test cap from Dinesh Karthik, Jurel produced a gem of a knock against South Africa A in Benoni, scoring 69 in 166 balls in a drawn match back in December 2023. During his debut series against England last year, Jurel was one of the youngsters alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan to make his mark as a batter, scoring 190 runs in four innings across three matches, at an average of 63.33

On his debut at Rajkot, he produced a solid 46 in 104 balls. The fourth Test at Ranchi displayed the steely, determined side of this player, the son of a Kargil war soldier. He produced a brilliant 76-run stand with Kuldeep Yadav and a steady 146-ball 90, with six fours and four sixes, as he made sure India was in the match

It was only fitting that he hit the winning runs, scoring 39* in a chase of 192, stitching a 72-run stand with Shubman Gill after India was reduced to 120/5. With this 'Player of the Match' performance, Jurel became one out of many 'crisis men' for India, awaiting a regular spot

Suddenly, Jurel became a perfect option as a back-up for superstar Rishabh Pant, displaying the toughness, balance and stability which Pant at times lacked due to his free-flowing, attacking game. He followed this up with a solid 93 in 121 balls against Mumbai in Irani Cup, battling the likes of Mohit Avasthi, Tanush Kotian and Shardul Thakur. Match ended in a draw, with Mumbai winning on basis of first innings lead in October.

Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Jurel produced fine knocks of 80 and 68 against Australia A at Melbourne in testing conditions, tackling Aussie domestic veterans and internationals Michael Nesser and Scott Boland with composure and assured strokeplay beyond his age. He failed in his sole senior outing at Perth, scoring 11 and 1, falling to Mitchell Marsh and skipper Pat Cummins. Nothing worth complaining though, as India secured a massive 295 runs win under Jasprit Bumrah's captaincy

(With ANI inputs)