New Delhi: Dhruv Jurel became the 12th Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century against the West Indies in the first Test match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, October 3. Following his milestone, Jurel dedicated his maiden century to the Indian army.
The wicket-keeper batter stated “respect for what they do on the battlefield”. After his century. Jurel’s father, Nem Chand, also served in the Indian Army and was also included in the Kargil War of 1999. Earlier, Jurel was seen giving an on-field salute, and he revealed that his gesture was a way of honoring his father’s dedication to the Indian Army.
Jurel made the most of the chance in the absence of Rishabh Pant. The left-hand wicket-keeper was ruled out of the West Indies series, and Jurel got the opportunity to feature in the playing XI as a wicket-keeper. He was being prepared for Pant’s backup in Test cricket.
The right-hand wicket-keeper batter made a 206-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja. Jurel did a salute gesture after completing a half-century, and after reaching his ton, he attributed his remarkable innings to the Indian Army.
KL Rahul’s unique celebration explained
KL Rahul made the first century of the day, and the opener enjoyed his feat with a new celebration. The Karnataka batter did a whistle gesture after completing his ton and revealed that the celebration was for his daughter.
Rahul and his wife, Athiya Shetty, were blessed with a baby girl earlier this year, and after that, Rahul’s stock went uphill as he had a great Champions Trophy 2025, followed by a brilliant IPL season and then an impressive England Tour.
The right-hand batter also played in the India A series against Australia A and was seen limping on the first day of the Test match, but his resilience put him ahead of other batters. Rahul scored over 500 runs in the last England tour and now smashed a century in the first Test match against the West Indies.
Rahul has scored 632 runs in the current World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle, which is the second-most in the Indian red-ball squad.