The second 4-day match is being played between the ‘A’ teams of India and New Zealand in Christchurch. Batting first in this red ball cricket match, India A has scored 346 runs in its first innings. Its captain Dhruv Jurel and lower order batsman Akash Deep have played a big role in helping India A reach this score. Dhruv Jurel has acted as a shield in difficult times and has changed the map of the match in 4 hours. While doing this he also scored a century. On the other hand, Akash Deep has made the biggest score of his first class career in the match against New Zealand A.
Dhruv Jurel scored 8th century
Dhruv Jurel completed his century after scoring the first run on the second day of the match. He remained unbeaten after scoring 99 runs in the first day’s play. The India A captain scored 105 runs in 171 balls, which included 11 fours and 3 sixes. This is his 8th century in first class cricket.
How did the map of the match change in 4 hours?
What makes this century innings of Dhruv Jurel even more special is the 4 hours he spent at the crease. Dhruv Jurel batted for a total of 4 hours 7 minutes and scored 105 runs. But, during this period he also did something else, which helped India A to come out of the trap laid by New Zealand A. Here the whirlpool means the situation when Dhruv Jurel came to bat. India A also faced the challenge of scoring 200 runs. His 5 wickets had fallen on 137 runs only. In such a situation, Dhruv Jurel not only held one end of the crease but also made two such partnerships during the 4 hours and 7 minutes spent there, which helped in changing the map of the match.
Dhruv Jurel made a partnership of 62 runs in 97 balls with Manav Suthar for the 7th wicket, in which he scored 39 runs in 51 balls. After Suthar’s dismissal, he made a big partnership with Akash Deep for the 8th wicket. There was a partnership of 75 runs on 142 balls between these two, in which 49 runs were included on 70 balls.
Akash Deep made the biggest score
On one hand, Dhruv Jurel changed the map of the match with his century and two big partnerships during 4 hours. Whereas Akash Deep wrote the script of the biggest innings of his first class career. Batting at number 9 in the first innings against New Zealand A, he scored 68 runs in 116 balls, which included 10 fours and 2 sixes. Earlier, Akash Deep’s highest score in red ball cricket was 66 runs.