Unstoppable in the Rain: Virat Kohli and Dhruv Jurel's Dedication to the Game
Despite a heavy rainfall, cricketing icons Virat Kohli and Dhruv Jurel refused to be deterred in an intense training session. With Kohli firmly encouraging Jurel to continue batting, the duo powered through against the bowling barrage led by Prasidh Krishna. At first, they tackled Krishna's seam bowling, then moved to face off against Mukesh Kumar as the rain continued to increase in intensity.
Over 40 minutes into the session, amid the cloudburst, they were eventually forced to give in to the weather. Both Kohli and Jurel managed to keep going, batting under their shirts before finally having to stop. Throughout the practice, both players showcased some impressive drives, with 23-year-old Jurel particularly drawing attention for his performance. With two commendable innings under his belt last week against Australia A, and now demonstrating his adeptness in this session's batting practice, Jurel is paving the way for his return to the Test XI.
During the practice, an interesting development spotted was that the reserve wicket-keeper of the Test squad spent nearly 20 minutes at each turn taking catches at silly-point and third slip-- just like Jurel's routine. Following the precedent set by Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal too entered the fray, joining the fielding session.
Padikkal had been preparing to leave Australia alongside other India A players until Shubman Gill sustained a thumb injury at WACA. He was then asked to stay back and thus his position in the field at the start of the training session seemed indicative of his place in the upcoming Test squad. By the end of the session, the probable batting lineup for the opening test on November 22 seemed to be falling into place.
Padikkal, who like Jurel, had scored runs against Australia A, further proved his form by standing up to Jasprit Bumrah on the challenging WACA pitch. He was not out throughout the entirety of the first session, solidifying his position to be considered for selection in these challenging conditions.
