RR batter Dhruv Jurel reflected on his batting position in the side, explaining how it is both a 'curse and a blessing' for him, after his side's comfortable victory over LSG in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on April 27. Despite not getting many chances with the bat in the majority of RR's previous matches in the ongoing season of the competition, it was Jurel's unbeaten 52 off 34 balls that played a crucial role in Rajasthan's win over LSG by 7 wickets. Jurel highlighted how he had been waiting for the opportunity to showcase his batting skills in IPL 2024, and help his side close games in the competition.
Jurel had gained immense praise for his batting brilliance ahead of the ongoing IPL season, with his performance in India's Test series win against England earlier this year. However, RR's phenomenal tally in IPL 2024 had very little addition from the 23-year-old's bat, who had only come out to bat 6 times across their 9 matches so far this season, managing only a total of 102 runs. After losing multiple early wickets, it was Samson and Jurel's 121-run partnership on the 5th wicket that took their side beyond the 197-run target with ease.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Jurel reflected on how he had been waiting for the opportunity to shine for RR and his preparations for it.
"I just wanted to finish the match whenever I got a chance ( during batting). It's always a blessing/curse (playing in the middle-order), I just wanted to stay until the end and finish the game for my team. I will have to practice in batting powerplay. You have just two fielders outside the ring. During the middle-overs, you'll need to find the gaps and get the big hits going as there are 5 fielders in the deep, that's what I was looking at," Jurel said.
Jurel also recalled how the RR captain, Samson helped him plan through his innings against LSG.
"I started well, but my shots went straight to the fielders. Sanju then told me to calm down, don't go too hard, take my time and then I got 20 runs in an over and that got me going," Jurel added.
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RR are now only inches away from becoming the first team this season to secure a spot in the play-offs, as they take the much-needed momentum from this match before they head off to face SRH on May 2.
Published By:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published On:
Apr 28, 2024
English (US) ·