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The England Test captain, Ben Stokes, made a stunning revelation about how the wicket-keeper-batter in Ben Foakes has a “man crush” on his Indian counterpart Dhruv Jurel. The comment from Ben Stokes came at the press conference after India defeated England by five wickets in the fourth Test in Ranchi to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
At the JSCA International Cricket Stadium, Dhruv Jurel played a massive role in helping India secure a win from behind against England, getting the player of the match award in the process. Apart from showcasing his exceptional wicket-keeping skills in the second Test of his career, the 23-year-old put together two exceptional innings on a tough batting pitch.
During the first innings, when India were reduced to 177-7, trailing England by 176 runs, Dhruv Jurel shepherded the tail to take the hosts beyond 300, scoring his first Test fifty, getting dismissed after a well-made 90. The second innings saw him share an unbeaten 72-run stand for the sixth wicket with Shubman Gill, to help India chase down a 192-run target against England after they were reduced to 120-5 at one stage.
In the post-match press conference, Ben Stokes lauded Dhruv Jurel for his exceptional performance against them before revealing that Ben Foakes has a “man crush” on the Indian player. He was quoted as saying, as per the Indian Express, “Both innings he’s played very well. His keeping was something to watch — I think Ben Foakes has a little man crush on him there.”
Rohit Sharma also appreciated the salient qualities of Dhruv Jurel as a cricketer, and said, “Dhruv showed solid composure, calmness and has the shots as well. In the second innings, he showed a lot of composure and maturity.”