New Delhi: India’s young wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel etched his name in history on Friday, scoring his maiden Test hundred against the West Indies and dedicating the milestone to the Indian Army and his father, a Kargil war veteran.
Jurel struck a composed 125 on Day 2 of the first Test, helping India post a commanding 448 for five at stumps. He received valuable support from senior pros KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, both of whom also registered centuries.
The 24-year-old’s celebrations became the highlight of the day. After raising his bat for fifty, Jurel saluted his father in the stands, and upon completing his hundred, he gave a sharp army salute — a gesture he later explained was his tribute to the Armed Forces.
“The celebration at fifty was for my father, and after the hundred it was for the Army. I always have deep respect for what they do on the battlefield,” Jurel said.
Jurel displayed remarkable composure after being stuck on 99, driving a Roston Chase delivery wide of mid-on to bring up the landmark in just his sixth Test. The dressing room rose in unison to applaud, with Jadeja at the non-striker’s end beaming with pride.
With this feat, Jurel became only the fifth Indian wicketkeeper to register his maiden Test century against the West Indies, joining Vijay Manjrekar, Farokh Engineer, Ajay Ratra, and Wriddhiman Saha. His knock also marked India’s third Test hundred by a designated wicketkeeper in 2025 the most ever in a calendar year for the team, and joint second-most overall behind South Africa’s four in 2013.
Jurel’s innings was marked by clean strokeplay, mixing sweeps, cuts, and elegant drives with a towering six down the ground. His sparkling knock finally ended when debutant Khary Pierre induced an edge to Shai Hope, giving the West Indies bowler his maiden Test scalp.
As Jurel walked back to warm applause, his knock had already cemented its place as one of the defining moments of India’s ongoing series a blend of talent, discipline, and heartfelt patriotism.
